Monday, February 20, 2006
Petitions seek $6.85 minimum wage
Interesting that their real goal is to increase democrat voter turnout rather than any concern for the poor. Just another means to an end.
Petitions seek $6.85 minimum wage: "Ed Sarpolus, who conducted the Michigan poll, said Friday the issue especially stirs passions among Democratic voters, enough to possibly increase their turnout on Election Day by 4 to 5 percentage points, particularly in cities like Detroit.
'The ballot issue is more about increasing election turnout than it is about the issue of wages,' Sarpolus said."
Sunday, February 19, 2006
Politics: The Shot Heard Round the World - Newsweek Politics - MSNBC.com
Politics: The Shot Heard Round the World - Newsweek Politics - MSNBC.com: "The Shot Heard Round the World"
This is from Newsweek. Do these guys have so much hate that they can't tell the difference between one of the most patriotic moments of our American history at Lexington in 1775 and a simple hunting accident? Or are they so consumed with Bushatred that they will stoop to any level to distort the truth?I guess their front page in tomorrow's issue tells their position. Sad.
MSM cowardice
Captain's Quarters:
The field reporters are brave. The sit-at-home editors are cowards.
"Editors and publishers are afraid the thugs will target them as they targeted Danny Pearl and Theo van Gogh; afraid the mob will firebomb their newsrooms as it has firebombed Danish embassies"
The field reporters are brave. The sit-at-home editors are cowards.
"Editors and publishers are afraid the thugs will target them as they targeted Danny Pearl and Theo van Gogh; afraid the mob will firebomb their newsrooms as it has firebombed Danish embassies"
Attack of the buns?
"A 63-year-old Ann Arbor man reported to police that someone has been leaving bread buns in his yard, attracting a slew of animals, and he feared a skunk may attack him, city police reported."
Does anyone think of Jimmah Carter here........
What kind of American...
... would be against airing these ads? I sure hope the word gets out.Power Line: A case study
More leftist perfidy. Fascinating how the left unmasks itself as the party of repression. Click the links to the ads the demos don't want you to see. How can anyone defend this?
More leftist perfidy. Fascinating how the left unmasks itself as the party of repression. Click the links to the ads the demos don't want you to see. How can anyone defend this?
Despicable media bias!
TCS Daily - Strong Economy, Weak Coverage: "Is it any wonder than that a November poll by the American Research Group, a non-partisan polling organization that has conducted monthly economic surveys since 1985, showed 43 percent of Americans thought the economy was in a recession? "
Pew Research Center: Are We Happy Yet?
Pew Research Center: Are We Happy Yet?:
No big surprise here.
"Some 45% of all Republicans report being very happy, compared with just 30% of Democrats and 29% of independents"
No big surprise here.
"Some 45% of all Republicans report being very happy, compared with just 30% of Democrats and 29% of independents"
Cheney to resign?
Another lefty pipedream. Honestly, I'm loving this. The PR wasn't bungled. I'm thinking Rove is behind this whole thing. For the record: I think this entire episode was handled brilliantly by Cheney and his staff. Except for the little deal with shooting his friend. Bummer about that.
Face it. Rove wants to discredit the MSM but can't get it done on his own. Why not hatch a plot to entice the MSM into self immolating on their own, right in front of all the swing voters, just 6 months before an election. Brilliant!
But ya gotta hep me here. Why on earth do the demos want Cheney to quit? If he does, Bush will replace him with the, likely, next GOP President. It seems to me that this is another bozo move by the demos and their MSM allies. Demonize Cheney and he stays...who cares, he's not gonna run for another office. Demonize Cheney and he quits and the dumbo-demos have just given a big help to the next GOPer Presidenttial candidate. It kinda reminds me of all the dumbo-Demo celebrating after Clinton escaped impeachment, making Gore the President. They forgot that us GOPers were celebrating even more. The celebration continues today....... ah life is good.
Oh yeah, and now the Bushies have broken the stranglehold of giving the liberal-MSM sole control of interviews and info. Watch the little guys and FOX carry the breaking news from now on. Brilliant!
More on the media idocy from Drudge:
Admitting he hadn't seen the interview, at about 4:15pm EST Wednesday
on CNN's The Situation Room, Jack Cafferty charged that "it didn't exactly
represent a profile in courage for the Vice President to wander over there
to the F-word network for a sit-down with Brit Hume. I mean, that's a
little like Bonnie interviewing Clyde, ain't it?" MSNBC's Keith Olbermann
castigated Cheney for choosing the "more malleable cameras of Fox News" in
place of a press conference. Over on the broadcast network evening
newscasts, NBC's David Gregory, the most aggressive reporter in the White
House press briefings, fired back at Hume, suggesting Cheney chose him
because of his condemnation of the press corps: "Speaking out for the
first time, the Vice President chose to speak with Fox anchor Brit Hume, a
former White House correspondent, he has been outspoken in his criticism
of the White House press corps' coverage of this story." CBS correspondent
Jim Axelrod characterized FNC as a "friendly" venue: "The Vice President
chose to make his first public comments on Fox News Channel's Special
Report, a broadcast Mr. Cheney sees as friendly, and has turned to
before." One doubts reporters presumed Vice President Al Gore was going to
friendly media when he sat down with ABC, CBS, NBC or CNN.
Chronicle editors, please read this!
Half the truth is often a great lie. -Benjamin Franklin, statesman, author,
and inventor (1706-1790)
and inventor (1706-1790)
Kinda pathetic?
Threads2: "New Orleans - Actor Steven Seagal will reign as this year's celebrity monarch for the Krewe of Orpheus, the lavish parade group started by musician and New Orleans native Harry Connick Jr. Seagal will be celebrity spokesman for Rebuilding Together, the nation's largest volunteer home rehabilitation group "
Saturday, February 18, 2006
Michigan Mayhem suffer second straight road loss
When will the misery end....for them and Muskegon.Michigan Mayhem suffer second straight road loss: "The Mayhem are off until Feb. 23, when they play at Albany, before returning home on Feb. 24 to host Rockford. "
Slice of life....
I had a friend whose name was John Titsworth, a somewhat higherclass name in England but he lived in Michigan. He married a jewish girl but her parents made them change their last name to Smith. The marriage didn't last long. Bummer.
I always wondered if he rechanged his name back to Titsworth.
I always wondered if he rechanged his name back to Titsworth.
2 good ones!
Sometimes Tracy misses the net. Today he SCORES! Twice, as a matter of fact.
Sorta amazing The Chronicle politbureau wouldn't print the first.
Read 'em both.
Lorenz at Large: "Two-fer
I had to write two columns this week, the first one they wouldn't print. I've included them both, I had about a half an hour to write the second column (about the Olympics) so keep that in mind."
Sorta amazing The Chronicle politbureau wouldn't print the first.
Read 'em both.
Lorenz at Large: "Two-fer
I had to write two columns this week, the first one they wouldn't print. I've included them both, I had about a half an hour to write the second column (about the Olympics) so keep that in mind."
This should be funny....
But it sounds soooo much like the "entitlement left" of our Country, and their leaders....
Subject: Bush Fails To Prevent East Coast BlizzardMinorities Hit Hardestby Brian Williams NBC 02/12/06As President Bush and his staff cowered in the White House, the snowcontinued to pile up on the many poor and African Amercian victims whocould not afford to get out of town or to safety in Florida. Crucial suppliesof blankets, hot cocoa, popcorn and dark rum - so essential to survivingthe stress of any major snowstorm - lay in stores undelivered."Where is the government? I need my sidewalk shovelled so I can get outto buy my danged lottery tickets!" said one D.C. resident from his livingroom. "Why are we wasting money in Iraq wh! en we could be spending it here on me?"Progressive blogs blasted the President for his inaction. "We find thetiming terribly suspicious - just as the Domestic Spying hearings kickinto high gear, what happens? A major northeast Blizzard. Why now?" wrote one blogger.Hearings into the Blizzards' effect on hearings are almost a certainty.Howard Dean has suggested he will call for an investigation once his newmedications kick in and John Kerry took a break from the sportingactivities of the glamourous super-rich in some exotic locale (random choice: Ice Sailing in Finland) to call for new legislation outlawing snowstorms."The Republican Congress has dropped the ball once again. I have always been a staunch supporter of anti-snow legislation, except for certain locations where I ski. Snow has no business on our roads and the President and Congress knows that."Calls for impeachment over "SnowGate" as some are calling it already aremounting! as deeply as the snow itself, and what will be discoveredunderneath will prove to have a truly chilling effect on theRepublicans, as the inevitable thaw proceeds. Or something like that.More breaking news......Al Sharpton wants an investigation as to why snow is ALWAYS white.Cheney has stock in Tru-Value Hardware.Do you have any idea how many SNOW SHOVELS they sold today to theunsuspecting consumer?I demand to know why FEMA has been so late in reacting to this storm.THEY KNEW IT WAS COMING! And yet they failed to have crews in place to fix the electricity as soon as it went off. It just shows that Bush and theRepublicans just don't care about the people in the N.E. The Senateneeds to investigate this with administration people under oath.I'll bet that the great junior senator from N.Y. has opened the doors ofher home to all of the heatless poor of her neighborhood and is busy bakingcookies for them! while her husband applies body heat to the nearlyfrozen teen-aged girls.
Subject: Bush Fails To Prevent East Coast BlizzardMinorities Hit Hardestby Brian Williams NBC 02/12/06As President Bush and his staff cowered in the White House, the snowcontinued to pile up on the many poor and African Amercian victims whocould not afford to get out of town or to safety in Florida. Crucial suppliesof blankets, hot cocoa, popcorn and dark rum - so essential to survivingthe stress of any major snowstorm - lay in stores undelivered."Where is the government? I need my sidewalk shovelled so I can get outto buy my danged lottery tickets!" said one D.C. resident from his livingroom. "Why are we wasting money in Iraq wh! en we could be spending it here on me?"Progressive blogs blasted the President for his inaction. "We find thetiming terribly suspicious - just as the Domestic Spying hearings kickinto high gear, what happens? A major northeast Blizzard. Why now?" wrote one blogger.Hearings into the Blizzards' effect on hearings are almost a certainty.Howard Dean has suggested he will call for an investigation once his newmedications kick in and John Kerry took a break from the sportingactivities of the glamourous super-rich in some exotic locale (random choice: Ice Sailing in Finland) to call for new legislation outlawing snowstorms."The Republican Congress has dropped the ball once again. I have always been a staunch supporter of anti-snow legislation, except for certain locations where I ski. Snow has no business on our roads and the President and Congress knows that."Calls for impeachment over "SnowGate" as some are calling it already aremounting! as deeply as the snow itself, and what will be discoveredunderneath will prove to have a truly chilling effect on theRepublicans, as the inevitable thaw proceeds. Or something like that.More breaking news......Al Sharpton wants an investigation as to why snow is ALWAYS white.Cheney has stock in Tru-Value Hardware.Do you have any idea how many SNOW SHOVELS they sold today to theunsuspecting consumer?I demand to know why FEMA has been so late in reacting to this storm.THEY KNEW IT WAS COMING! And yet they failed to have crews in place to fix the electricity as soon as it went off. It just shows that Bush and theRepublicans just don't care about the people in the N.E. The Senateneeds to investigate this with administration people under oath.I'll bet that the great junior senator from N.Y. has opened the doors ofher home to all of the heatless poor of her neighborhood and is busy bakingcookies for them! while her husband applies body heat to the nearlyfrozen teen-aged girls.
Remember when you first saw a F-14 at the AirFair?
Amazing how time flies....
WZZM13 GRAND RAPIDS Saturday, February 18, 2006:
"Navy's F-14 fighter jet flies its final mission
By Steven Komarow, USA TODAY
WASHINGTON - The F-14 Tomcat, the fighter jet that soared into the national imagination in the movie Top Gun, has flown into the danger zone for the last time.
The Navy announced Thursday that the last F-14 combat mission was completed Feb. 8, when a pair of Tomcats landed aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt after one dropped a bomb in Iraq.
Amazing comment
My gosh! Liberals of all stripes, blacks, the media of all sorts and most Democrats talk about "racism" ALL the time. What a moronic quote...
WOODTV.com & WOOD TV8 - Grand Rapids news and weather - News - Local:
"Most people would rather not talk about racism at all. What do people say behind closed doors? How do those "
WOODTV.com & WOOD TV8 - Grand Rapids news and weather - News - Local:
"Most people would rather not talk about racism at all. What do people say behind closed doors? How do those "
NWA strike in our future!
Doubly bad for Detroit as they sold most of their gates to NWA years ago. Remember the idiocy of the past and don't repeat.....
WOODTV.com & WOOD TV8 - Grand Rapids news and weather - Northwest pilots plan informational picketing Friday: "(Romulus-AP, February 17, 2006, 12:01 p.m.) Northwest Airlines pilots are conducting informational picketing at airports in Detroit, Minneapolis, Memphis and Anchorage.
The pilots union says its members are frustrated with Northwest for demanding what the union considers excessive and unreasonable concessions."
WOODTV.com & WOOD TV8 - Grand Rapids news and weather - Northwest pilots plan informational picketing Friday: "(Romulus-AP, February 17, 2006, 12:01 p.m.) Northwest Airlines pilots are conducting informational picketing at airports in Detroit, Minneapolis, Memphis and Anchorage.
The pilots union says its members are frustrated with Northwest for demanding what the union considers excessive and unreasonable concessions."
Kalamazoo police search for suspects who impersonated officers
This is kinda scary.
WOODTV.com & WOOD TV8 - Grand Rapids news and weather - Kalamazoo police search for suspects who impersonated officers: "Kalamazoo police are looking for two people who passed themselves off as officers to commit a robbery.
Authorities say a man and a woman showed a badge to a resident and said they were investigating a bank robbery where an officer was shot.
The resident let them in and showed them a handgun, which the fake officers said they were taking as evidence. The suspects then stole money from the resident. "
WOODTV.com & WOOD TV8 - Grand Rapids news and weather - Kalamazoo police search for suspects who impersonated officers: "Kalamazoo police are looking for two people who passed themselves off as officers to commit a robbery.
Authorities say a man and a woman showed a badge to a resident and said they were investigating a bank robbery where an officer was shot.
The resident let them in and showed them a handgun, which the fake officers said they were taking as evidence. The suspects then stole money from the resident. "
Area mall gets back to business following power outage
WOOD forgot to mention that Menards kept open because they had generator back up. I guess they didn't need FEMA or some other incompetant beaurocrat to get the job done. Didn't that used to be called "the American Way"?
WOODTV.com & WOOD TV8 - Grand Rapids news and weather - Area mall gets back to business following power outage: "The icy weather gave shoppers the cold shoulder Friday morning as stores at Lakes Mall in Fruitport Township closed due to darkness. "
WOODTV.com & WOOD TV8 - Grand Rapids news and weather - Area mall gets back to business following power outage: "The icy weather gave shoppers the cold shoulder Friday morning as stores at Lakes Mall in Fruitport Township closed due to darkness. "
BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Retirement age 'should reach 85'
When will our "brave" democrats attend to this reality. At least Bush gave it a try.
BBC NEWS Science/Nature Retirement age 'should reach 85':
"Retirement age 'should reach 85'
By Paul Rincon
BBC News science reporter, St Louis
A longer life could mean a longer working life
The age of retirement should be raised to 85 by 2050 because of trends in life expectancy, a US biologist has said.
Shripad Tuljapurkar of Stanford University says anti-ageing advances could raise life expectancy by a year each year over the next two decades. "
BBC NEWS Science/Nature Retirement age 'should reach 85':
"Retirement age 'should reach 85'
By Paul Rincon
BBC News science reporter, St Louis
A longer life could mean a longer working life
The age of retirement should be raised to 85 by 2050 because of trends in life expectancy, a US biologist has said.
Shripad Tuljapurkar of Stanford University says anti-ageing advances could raise life expectancy by a year each year over the next two decades. "
Best political ad EVER!
Nifty radio ad in Milwaukee fighting the democrat/teacher union bosses attempts to shut down school choice for poor black and hispanic children. Have they no shame?
Why does the political left hate the thought of educated blacks? From Sykes in Milwaukee.
THE NAACP SPEAKS
The local chapter of the NAACP..... held a press conference Wednesday specifically to denounce this ad.
http://www.620wtmj.com/audio/sykes/School_Choice_ad.mp3
Why does the political left hate the thought of educated blacks? From Sykes in Milwaukee.
THE NAACP SPEAKS
The local chapter of the NAACP..... held a press conference Wednesday specifically to denounce this ad.
http://www.620wtmj.com/audio/sykes/School_Choice_ad.mp3
Wednesday, February 01, 2006
Dumber than Dan Quayle?
DRUDGE REPORT FLASH 2004�: "KERRY CLAIMS: ONLY 53% OF CHILDREN GRADUATE FROM HIGH SCHOOL
Wed Feb 01 2006 10:43:40 ET
Sen. John Kerry claimed this morning on NBC TODAY that only 53% of America's children graduate from high school -- a claim that raised eyebrows in the NBC control room, sources tell the DRUDGE REPORT.
Kerry made the comments after host Katie Couric asked the former presidential candidate about the Bush's State of the Union call to train 70,000 additional teachers in math and science.
COURIC: He wanted to train 70,000 additional teachers in math and science.
KERRY: That's terrific. But 53 percent of our children don't graduate from high school. Kids don't have after-school programs... He didn't ask America to sacrifice anything to achieve great goals and the biggest example is making the tax cut permanent for the wealthiest people in America. The average American struggles to find time to take carry of families, working two or three jobs... It's a disgrace. He did not tell the real state of the union.
Kerry's 53% claim conflicts with a recent press release from the U.S. Census Bureau: 'High School Graduation Rates Reach All-Time High'
And the Census Bureau's own website states: 85.9 Percent Of Americans Aged 20-24 Are High School Graduates. (U.S. Census Bureau Website, www.census.gov , Accessed 2/1/06)
END"
Wed Feb 01 2006 10:43:40 ET
Sen. John Kerry claimed this morning on NBC TODAY that only 53% of America's children graduate from high school -- a claim that raised eyebrows in the NBC control room, sources tell the DRUDGE REPORT.
Kerry made the comments after host Katie Couric asked the former presidential candidate about the Bush's State of the Union call to train 70,000 additional teachers in math and science.
COURIC: He wanted to train 70,000 additional teachers in math and science.
KERRY: That's terrific. But 53 percent of our children don't graduate from high school. Kids don't have after-school programs... He didn't ask America to sacrifice anything to achieve great goals and the biggest example is making the tax cut permanent for the wealthiest people in America. The average American struggles to find time to take carry of families, working two or three jobs... It's a disgrace. He did not tell the real state of the union.
Kerry's 53% claim conflicts with a recent press release from the U.S. Census Bureau: 'High School Graduation Rates Reach All-Time High'
And the Census Bureau's own website states: 85.9 Percent Of Americans Aged 20-24 Are High School Graduates. (U.S. Census Bureau Website, www.census.gov , Accessed 2/1/06)
END"
Tuesday, January 31, 2006
Remember me?
Remember Me ? My name is Mary Jo Kopechne. I would have been 65 years of age this year. Read about me and my killer below: When Sen. Ted Kennedy was merely just another Democrat, bloating on Capitol Hill on behalf of liberal causes, it was perhaps excusable to ignore his deplorable past. But now that he's become a leading attack dog against anything Republican or conservative, positioning himself as Washington's leading arbiter of truth and integrity, the days for such indulgence are now over.
It's time for the GOP to stand up and remind America why this chief Democratic spokesman had to abandon his own presidential bid in 1980 --- time to say the words "Mary Jo Kopechne" out loud.As is often the case, Republicans have deluded themselves into thinking that most Americans already know the story of how this "Conscience of the Democratic Party" left Miss Kopechne behind to die in the waters underneath Edgartown Bridge in July 1969, after a night of drinking and partying with the young, blonde campaign worker. But most Americans under 40 have never heard that story, or details of how Kennedy swam to safety, then tried to get his cousin, Joe Garghan, to say he was behind the wheel. Those young voters don't know how Miss Kopechne, trapped inside Kennedy's Oldsmobile, gasped for air until she finally died, while the Democrats' leading Iraq war critic rushed back to his compound to formulate the best alibi he could think of.Neither does Generation X know how Kennedy was thrown out of Harvard on his ear 15 years earlier -- for paying a fellow student to take his Spanish final.
Or why the US Army denied him a commission because he cheated on tests. As they listen to the Democrats' "Liberal Lion" accuse President Bush of "telling lie after lie after lie" to get America to go to war in Iraq, young voters don't know about that notorious 1991 Easter weekend in Palm Beach when Uncle Teddy rounded up his nephews for a night on the town, an evening that ended with one of them credibly accused of rape.It's time for Republicans to state unabashedly that they will no longer "go along with the gag" when it comes to Uncle Ted's rants about deception and moral turpitude inside the Bush White House. And if the Republican Party doesn't, let's do it ourselves by passing this forgotten disgrace around the Internet to wake up memories of what a fraud and fake Teddy really is. The Democratic Party should be ashamed to have the national disgrace from Massachusetts as their spokesman.
It's time for the GOP to stand up and remind America why this chief Democratic spokesman had to abandon his own presidential bid in 1980 --- time to say the words "Mary Jo Kopechne" out loud.As is often the case, Republicans have deluded themselves into thinking that most Americans already know the story of how this "Conscience of the Democratic Party" left Miss Kopechne behind to die in the waters underneath Edgartown Bridge in July 1969, after a night of drinking and partying with the young, blonde campaign worker. But most Americans under 40 have never heard that story, or details of how Kennedy swam to safety, then tried to get his cousin, Joe Garghan, to say he was behind the wheel. Those young voters don't know how Miss Kopechne, trapped inside Kennedy's Oldsmobile, gasped for air until she finally died, while the Democrats' leading Iraq war critic rushed back to his compound to formulate the best alibi he could think of.Neither does Generation X know how Kennedy was thrown out of Harvard on his ear 15 years earlier -- for paying a fellow student to take his Spanish final.
Or why the US Army denied him a commission because he cheated on tests. As they listen to the Democrats' "Liberal Lion" accuse President Bush of "telling lie after lie after lie" to get America to go to war in Iraq, young voters don't know about that notorious 1991 Easter weekend in Palm Beach when Uncle Teddy rounded up his nephews for a night on the town, an evening that ended with one of them credibly accused of rape.It's time for Republicans to state unabashedly that they will no longer "go along with the gag" when it comes to Uncle Ted's rants about deception and moral turpitude inside the Bush White House. And if the Republican Party doesn't, let's do it ourselves by passing this forgotten disgrace around the Internet to wake up memories of what a fraud and fake Teddy really is. The Democratic Party should be ashamed to have the national disgrace from Massachusetts as their spokesman.
TARA REID - YELLOW T-SHIRT
I have no idea who Tara Reid is but I think more gals oughta wear similar T-shirts.
TARA REID - YELLOW T-SHIRT
TARA REID - YELLOW T-SHIRT
Saturday, January 28, 2006
Newsday.com: Clinton: Climate change is the world's biggest worry
This guy was President? My gosh, there is a world war going on with hundreds of thousands killed every year and "the Squirter" is worried that the US economy is causing a scientifically unproven global change? Oh, and ya gotta love "global inequality" as number 2.
Newsday.com: Clinton: Climate change is the world's biggest worry: "Clinton: Climate change is the world's biggest worry
By DAN PERRY
Associated Press Writer
January 28, 2006, 2:00 PM EST
DAVOS, Switzerland -- Former U.S. President Bill Clinton told corporate chieftains and political bigwigs Saturday that climate change was the world's biggest problem _ followed by global inequality and the 'apparently irreconcilable' religious and cultural differences behind terrorism.
Clinton's comments provided something a freewheeling and philosophical finale _ ahead of Sunday's formal wrap-up _ to several days of high-powered discourse on the state of the world, and the mostly admiring audience seemed to hang on his every word.
'First, I worry about climate change,' Clinton said in an onstage conversation with the founder of the World Economic Forum. 'It's the only thing that I believe has the power to fundamentally end the march of civilization as we know it, and make a lot of the other efforts that we're making irrelevant and impossible.' "
Newsday.com: Clinton: Climate change is the world's biggest worry: "Clinton: Climate change is the world's biggest worry
By DAN PERRY
Associated Press Writer
January 28, 2006, 2:00 PM EST
DAVOS, Switzerland -- Former U.S. President Bill Clinton told corporate chieftains and political bigwigs Saturday that climate change was the world's biggest problem _ followed by global inequality and the 'apparently irreconcilable' religious and cultural differences behind terrorism.
Clinton's comments provided something a freewheeling and philosophical finale _ ahead of Sunday's formal wrap-up _ to several days of high-powered discourse on the state of the world, and the mostly admiring audience seemed to hang on his every word.
'First, I worry about climate change,' Clinton said in an onstage conversation with the founder of the World Economic Forum. 'It's the only thing that I believe has the power to fundamentally end the march of civilization as we know it, and make a lot of the other efforts that we're making irrelevant and impossible.' "
Friday, January 27, 2006
How long do burned CD-Rs and CD-RWs last? - CNET Community Newsletter: Q&A Forums
Interesting if you want to save your CD/DVD photos etc.
1/27/06 How long do burned CD-Rs and CD-RWs last? - CNET Community Newsletter: Q&A Forums
1/27/06 How long do burned CD-Rs and CD-RWs last? - CNET Community Newsletter: Q&A Forums
Sunday, January 22, 2006
Monday, January 16, 2006
Michelle Malkin: THE MILWAUKEE 5 ON TRIAL
Michelle Malkin: THE MILWAUKEE 5 ON TRIAL
Don't be surprised you hadn't heard about this outrage.
Imagine how the "unbiased" MSM if a Republican Congressman's son had been involved in criminally keeping people from voting!
Don't be surprised you hadn't heard about this outrage.
Imagine how the "unbiased" MSM if a Republican Congressman's son had been involved in criminally keeping people from voting!
Sunday, January 08, 2006
Belafonte Calls Bush 'Greatest Terrorist' - Yahoo! News
Remember those who support this murderous dictator.
Belafonte Calls Bush 'Greatest Terrorist' - Yahoo! News:
"By IAN JAMES, Associated Press Writer
CARACAS, Venezuela - The American singer and activist Harry Belafonte called President Bush 'the greatest terrorist in the world' on Sunday and said millions of Americans support the socialist revolution of Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez.
Belafonte led a delegation of Americans including the actor Danny Glover and the Princeton University scholar Cornel West that met the Venezuelan president for more than six hours late Saturday. Some in the group attended Chavez's television and radio broadcast Sunday.
'No matter what the greatest tyrant in the world, the greatest terrorist in the world, George W. Bush says, we're here to tell you: Not hundreds, not thousands, but millions of the American people ... support your revolution,' Belafonte told Chavez during the broadcast."
Belafonte Calls Bush 'Greatest Terrorist' - Yahoo! News:
"By IAN JAMES, Associated Press Writer
CARACAS, Venezuela - The American singer and activist Harry Belafonte called President Bush 'the greatest terrorist in the world' on Sunday and said millions of Americans support the socialist revolution of Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez.
Belafonte led a delegation of Americans including the actor Danny Glover and the Princeton University scholar Cornel West that met the Venezuelan president for more than six hours late Saturday. Some in the group attended Chavez's television and radio broadcast Sunday.
'No matter what the greatest tyrant in the world, the greatest terrorist in the world, George W. Bush says, we're here to tell you: Not hundreds, not thousands, but millions of the American people ... support your revolution,' Belafonte told Chavez during the broadcast."
Does the MSM revere miners more than soldiers?
My Way - My Page: " My News
Top News - APJan 8, 8:59 pm ET
� U.S. Copter Down in Iraq; 12 Believed Dead
� Mourners Grieve Privately for 12 Miners"
Top News - APJan 8, 8:59 pm ET
� U.S. Copter Down in Iraq; 12 Believed Dead
� Mourners Grieve Privately for 12 Miners"
Falling birth rates not just a problem in Europe
The future?
Falling birth rates not just a problem in Europe: "In advanced Western society, we don't have to worry about that; we automatically have someone to provide for us in our old age: the state.
But the state -- at least in its modern social-democratic welfare incarnation -- needs children..... And the problem with much of the advanced world is that...... it is collectively barren...... Individually, it's made up of millions of fertile women, who voluntarily opt for no children at all or one designer kid at 39. In Italy, the home of the Church, the birth rate's down to 1.2 children per couple -- or about half ''replacement rate.'' You can't buck that kind of arithmetic."
Falling birth rates not just a problem in Europe: "In advanced Western society, we don't have to worry about that; we automatically have someone to provide for us in our old age: the state.
But the state -- at least in its modern social-democratic welfare incarnation -- needs children..... And the problem with much of the advanced world is that...... it is collectively barren...... Individually, it's made up of millions of fertile women, who voluntarily opt for no children at all or one designer kid at 39. In Italy, the home of the Church, the birth rate's down to 1.2 children per couple -- or about half ''replacement rate.'' You can't buck that kind of arithmetic."
from a soldier
MURTHA THE TURNCOAT
By KIERAN MICHAEL LALOR
LAST spring, I dropped by an anti-war rally in White Plains. When I made it clear that I was an Iraq vet who supported the war, the insults began to fly. Most slurs were boilerplate anti-war clichés, but one man struck a nerve: He marched up to me, looked me straight in the eye to ask, "You joined the military?" — and when I proudly answered "yes," responded, with utter disgust, "You are a sucker."
I felt the same rage last weekend just watching Rep. Jack Murtha declare on TV that, were he younger, he wouldn't join today's military.
I expect that kind of rhetoric from the washed-up anti-war rabble that congregate on street corners to relive their glory days — not from retired Marine colonels.
Murtha's call last year for a cut-and-run strategy in Iraq was one thing — irresponsible and unwise, but basically just stating a policy position. This is different.
What a nice New Year's treat for the beheaders and suicide bombers to know that a decorated Marine and lawmaker thinks the U.S. military is not only "broken" but not worth joining. Abu-Musab al-Zarqawi will no doubt use Murtha's words to inspire his band of thugs to hold out longer and kill a few more Americans assuring them that ultimately we will wilt like Murtha.
Why would Murtha not want to be part of a military that in the past four years has liberated 50 million souls and heroically brought aid to tsunami and earthquake victims, saving untold lives? Surely he knows that all was chaos in New Orleans in the wake of Katrina until Gen. Russell Honore's 1st Army and the 82nd Airborne came to town and provided relief and a security presence.
Evidently, Murtha doesn't think this is noble work.
Or, rather, the congressman doesn't like the way Iraq is going, so he disparaged the entire military — forgetting about our sailors working tirelessly to keep the seas open, Marines bravely guarding our embassies and soldiers standing watch in Korea and elsewhere to protect the democratic from the despotic.
Thirty-seven years in the Marine Corps should have taught Murtha that our military has historically been and continues to be the world's greatest meritocracy. No other institution has allowed people to climb the ranks and reach their potential regardless of their socioeconomic status like the U.S. military.
Similarly, Jack Murtha should know that millions of men and women have personally benefited from the discipline, training and structure of the military and used the traits learned in uniform to make countless contributions to civil society after their service.
If Murtha wouldn't want to be a part of a military that did in Afghanistan in three months what the Red Army couldn't do in seven years and that put genocidal maniac Saddam Hussein behind bars and his brutal sociopath sons in the ground, I am glad he is not.
But he's surely undermined military recruiting. Think he'll resign his committee assignments relevant to the military?
Last year, despite a media that overemphasizes the negative aspects of the war and an organized anti-recruitment effort, the Marine Corps exceeded its recruiting goals by 2 percent. The Navy and Air Force met their goals. The Army, which fell short of expectations last year, is exceeding them in Fiscal Year 2006 (which started in October).
Fortunately for the United States, a turncoat blowhard like Murtha won't stop the tens of thousands of good men and women inspired to serve this great nation.
Kieran Michael Lalor is the founder of Eternal Vigilance Society (eternalvigilancesociety.org), an independent organization supporting leaders who put protecting the nation ahead of politics.
Home
NEW YORK POST is a registered trademark of NYP Holdings, Inc. NYPOST.COM, NYPOSTONLINE.COM, and NEWYORKPOST.COMare trademarks of NYP Holdings, Inc. Copyright 2005 NYP Holdings, Inc. All rights reserved.
: "MURTHA THE TURNCOAT
By KIERAN MICHAEL LALOR
LAST spring, I dropped by an anti-war rally in White Plains. When I made it clear that I was an Iraq vet who supported the war, the insults began to fly. Most slurs were boilerplate anti-war clich�s, but one man struck a nerve: He marched up to me, looked me straight in the eye to ask, 'You joined the military?' � and when I proudly answered 'yes,' responded, with utter disgust, 'You are a sucker.'
I felt the same rage last weekend just watching Rep. Jack Murtha declare on TV that, were he younger, he wouldn't join today's military.
I expect that kind of rhetoric from the washed-up anti-war rabble that congregate on street corners to relive their glory days � not from retired Marine colonels.
Murtha's call last year for a cut-and-run strategy in Iraq was one thing � irresponsible and unwise, but basically just stating a policy position. This is different.
What a nice New Year's treat for the beheaders and suicide bombers to know that a decorated Marine and lawmaker thinks the U.S. military is not only 'broken' but not worth joining. Abu-Musab al-Zarqawi will no doubt use Murtha's words to inspire his band of thugs to hold out longer and kill a few more Americans assuring them that ultimately we will wilt like Murtha.
Why would Murtha not want to be part of a military that in the past four years has liberated 50 million souls and heroically brought aid to tsunami and earthquake victims, saving untold lives? Surely he knows that all was chaos in New Orleans in the wake of Katrina until Gen. Russell Honore's 1st Army and the 82nd Airborne came to town and provided relief and a security presence.
Evidently, Murtha doesn't think this is noble work.
Or, rather, the congressman doesn't like the way Iraq is going, so he disparaged the en"
Saturday, January 07, 2006
Demos rig polls again!
Another reason to despise the MSM and their Democrat handlers. Read the last sentance.
Ankle Biting Pundits - How To Rig A Poll (or, Breaking Down The Latest AP/Ipsos Poll): " How To Rig A Poll (or, Breaking Down The Latest AP/Ipsos Poll)
Posted by bulldogpundit on Friday, 06 January 2006 (17:07:43) EST
You'll likely be hearing orgasmic Democrats and the MSM crowing about this AP Ipsos poll which has the headline 'Voters Seem More Ready To End GOP Control Of Congress'. The poll shows the following:Quote:
Who Do You Want To Control Congress - 49% - Democrats/36%- Republicans
Sounds bad, huh? Well, as we've said before you (and the GOP leaders) shouldn't use these polls as any kind of indicator as to what could happen in 2006, which is certainly how the MSM will spin it.
But here's what you won't see in the news stories. - the demography of the poll respondents
First, only 81% of respondents were even eligible to vote, and there's no indication of how many of them actually went to the polls in 2004..
1. Party Leanings - The poll is slanted 52-40% towards Democrats, even though the voters in the 2004 election were split evenly at 37% between Republicans and Democrats."
Ankle Biting Pundits - How To Rig A Poll (or, Breaking Down The Latest AP/Ipsos Poll): " How To Rig A Poll (or, Breaking Down The Latest AP/Ipsos Poll)
Posted by bulldogpundit on Friday, 06 January 2006 (17:07:43) EST
You'll likely be hearing orgasmic Democrats and the MSM crowing about this AP Ipsos poll which has the headline 'Voters Seem More Ready To End GOP Control Of Congress'. The poll shows the following:Quote:
Who Do You Want To Control Congress - 49% - Democrats/36%- Republicans
Sounds bad, huh? Well, as we've said before you (and the GOP leaders) shouldn't use these polls as any kind of indicator as to what could happen in 2006, which is certainly how the MSM will spin it.
But here's what you won't see in the news stories. - the demography of the poll respondents
First, only 81% of respondents were even eligible to vote, and there's no indication of how many of them actually went to the polls in 2004..
1. Party Leanings - The poll is slanted 52-40% towards Democrats, even though the voters in the 2004 election were split evenly at 37% between Republicans and Democrats."
Just the Facts
Just the Facts: "IT'S CONVENTIONAL WISDOM. In fact, it's more than conventional wisdom. It's an article of faith among the enlightened: There was no connection, at least no significant connection, between Saddam Hussein's regime and al Qaeda and other terrorist groups.
Senate minority leader Harry Reid put it this way: 'There was [sic] no terrorists in Iraq.' His colleague, Carl Levin, member of both the Armed Services Committee and the Intelligence Committee, says Iraq's relationship with al Qaeda was 'nonexistent.'
Senators Reid and Levin are Democrats, to be sure. But few prominent Republicans have challenged these assertions. And the Bush administration has been as quiet as a mouse--and just as meek. So the conventional wisdom reigns.
We have long dissented from this conventional wisdom. We have argued in these pages that the connections between Saddam and terrorists were substantial and significant. Stephen Hayes--among others--has reported over the past three years on extensive evidence of terror ties to Saddam's regime. In our judgment, the evidence for such ties has become more convincing, not less, as more information has become available.
Can we ever really know the whole truth--or almost the whole truth? Yes. How? Let us--all of us--read the mass of documents captured after the fall of the Saddam regime. Stephen Hayes's reporting, including his article in this issue, suggests to us that these documents would confirm the argument for a terror connection. But let everyone make up his own mind, based on his own reading of the documents."
Senate minority leader Harry Reid put it this way: 'There was [sic] no terrorists in Iraq.' His colleague, Carl Levin, member of both the Armed Services Committee and the Intelligence Committee, says Iraq's relationship with al Qaeda was 'nonexistent.'
Senators Reid and Levin are Democrats, to be sure. But few prominent Republicans have challenged these assertions. And the Bush administration has been as quiet as a mouse--and just as meek. So the conventional wisdom reigns.
We have long dissented from this conventional wisdom. We have argued in these pages that the connections between Saddam and terrorists were substantial and significant. Stephen Hayes--among others--has reported over the past three years on extensive evidence of terror ties to Saddam's regime. In our judgment, the evidence for such ties has become more convincing, not less, as more information has become available.
Can we ever really know the whole truth--or almost the whole truth? Yes. How? Let us--all of us--read the mass of documents captured after the fall of the Saddam regime. Stephen Hayes's reporting, including his article in this issue, suggests to us that these documents would confirm the argument for a terror connection. But let everyone make up his own mind, based on his own reading of the documents."
Friday, January 06, 2006
Are they lying or just dumb?
OpinionJournal - Best of the Web Today: "Poll: Americans Oppose Judicial Legislation
From a Harris Poll on the nomination of Judge Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court:
Opposition to the confirmation of Judge Alito would probably grow substantially if most people believed he would vote to make abortion illegal. A 69 to 31 percent majority of the public say they would oppose his confirmation if they thought he would vote to make abortion illegal. Majorities of Democrats (86%) and Independents (74%) feel this way. However, a majority of Republicans (56% vs. 44%) would support his confirmation if they believed he would vote to make abortion illegal.
Yeah, well, we would oppose Alito's confirmation if we believed he would vote to make abortion illegal--and we think Roe v. Wade is a monstrosity. Reversing Roe, however, would not make abortion illegal; it would merely make it possible for duly elected legislators to do so. The guys who write Harris polls know so little about constitutional law, they ought to be teaching it at the University of Virginia."
From a Harris Poll on the nomination of Judge Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court:
Opposition to the confirmation of Judge Alito would probably grow substantially if most people believed he would vote to make abortion illegal. A 69 to 31 percent majority of the public say they would oppose his confirmation if they thought he would vote to make abortion illegal. Majorities of Democrats (86%) and Independents (74%) feel this way. However, a majority of Republicans (56% vs. 44%) would support his confirmation if they believed he would vote to make abortion illegal.
Yeah, well, we would oppose Alito's confirmation if we believed he would vote to make abortion illegal--and we think Roe v. Wade is a monstrosity. Reversing Roe, however, would not make abortion illegal; it would merely make it possible for duly elected legislators to do so. The guys who write Harris polls know so little about constitutional law, they ought to be teaching it at the University of Virginia."
Thursday, January 05, 2006
Good guys?
By Giles Elgood
LONDON (Reuters) - World leaders on Thursday expressed hopes Ariel Sharon would recover from his massive stroke but made clear the Israeli prime minister's dominance of Middle East politics was now over.
Only a miracle would allow the stricken former general to take up the political reins again before March 28 Israeli parliamentary elections -- and some in the region hoped he would succumb to his illness.
'Hopefully, the news that the criminal of Sabra and Shatila has joined his ancestors is final,' said Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, according to the semi-official students' news agency ISNA.
Sabra and Shatila are the names of refugee camps in Beirut where pro-Israeli Christian militiamen massacred Palestinians after Sharon masterminded the 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon.
The Palestinian Islamic group Hamas accused Sharon of 'massacres and terrorism' and said: 'The whole region will be better off with him absent.'
Western leaders by contrast wished Sharon a speedy recovery, even while acknowledging that his political career was almost certainly at an end.
U.S. President George W. Bush praised Sharon, who has been crucial to his hopes for Middle East peacemaking, as a man of 'cou"
LONDON (Reuters) - World leaders on Thursday expressed hopes Ariel Sharon would recover from his massive stroke but made clear the Israeli prime minister's dominance of Middle East politics was now over.
Only a miracle would allow the stricken former general to take up the political reins again before March 28 Israeli parliamentary elections -- and some in the region hoped he would succumb to his illness.
'Hopefully, the news that the criminal of Sabra and Shatila has joined his ancestors is final,' said Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, according to the semi-official students' news agency ISNA.
Sabra and Shatila are the names of refugee camps in Beirut where pro-Israeli Christian militiamen massacred Palestinians after Sharon masterminded the 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon.
The Palestinian Islamic group Hamas accused Sharon of 'massacres and terrorism' and said: 'The whole region will be better off with him absent.'
Western leaders by contrast wished Sharon a speedy recovery, even while acknowledging that his political career was almost certainly at an end.
U.S. President George W. Bush praised Sharon, who has been crucial to his hopes for Middle East peacemaking, as a man of 'cou"
A Bridge Too Far
Watching tonight this great movie. I had forgotten how much of the early part of the movie had the Germans speaking in German with subtitles. Horribly sad that movie makers couldn't do the same today in the USA because so many folks can't read subtitles.... or other important stuff. bummer....
New chairman in charge, for now
Pardon my "the rest of the story" here, but our Chronicle neglects to report that three years ago there were ZERO Republicans on the Muskegon County Commission. Today there are four out of eleven total. Rpublicans Scolnik, Wisnewski, Engel and newly elected vice chairman John Snider. Plus some high quality new Democrats. Chairman Derezinski, Chuck Buzzell, and Don Aley. It is the old guard of race baiters and union drones who long to keep Muskegon down.
What a surprise. Get rid of the power that those who kept Muskegon down and there will be screams of anguish? Bummer for them. Hope for the future of our County and City as these leaches are exposed and ignored.
New chairman in charge, for now: "By Steve Gunn
CHRONICLE STAFF WRITER
An unshakable coalition of Democratic and Republican county commissioners, long determined to remove Bill Gill as their chairman, finally flexed their collective muscle on Wednesday.
They started by installing Democrat James Derezinski as the new board chairman, replacing the controversial Gill, at least for the moment while legal maneuvers play out.
They also broke new ground by electing Republican Commissioner John Snider as vice chairman. It's the first time in memory that the county board chairman is from one party and the vice chairman from another. "
What a surprise. Get rid of the power that those who kept Muskegon down and there will be screams of anguish? Bummer for them. Hope for the future of our County and City as these leaches are exposed and ignored.
New chairman in charge, for now: "By Steve Gunn
CHRONICLE STAFF WRITER
An unshakable coalition of Democratic and Republican county commissioners, long determined to remove Bill Gill as their chairman, finally flexed their collective muscle on Wednesday.
They started by installing Democrat James Derezinski as the new board chairman, replacing the controversial Gill, at least for the moment while legal maneuvers play out.
They also broke new ground by electing Republican Commissioner John Snider as vice chairman. It's the first time in memory that the county board chairman is from one party and the vice chairman from another. "
Don't mess with Texas!
Does anyone think that Carl Rove (from Texas) had anything to do with USC (blue state) losing?
"Vince Young, with a state on his shoulders, needed only his feet to win the national championship, as No. 2 Texas defeated top-ranked USC, 41-38, in the Bowl Championship Series title game Wednesday night at the Rose Bowl."
"Vince Young, with a state on his shoulders, needed only his feet to win the national championship, as No. 2 Texas defeated top-ranked USC, 41-38, in the Bowl Championship Series title game Wednesday night at the Rose Bowl."
Yes, he's running as a Republican
My Way News: "Lynn Swann to Run for Pa. Governor
Jan 4, 10:08 PM (ET)
By PETER JACKSON
PITTSBURGH (AP) - Former Steelers star Lynn Swann declared his candidacy for Pennsylvania governor Wednesday in the city where he made his name in professional football."
Jan 4, 10:08 PM (ET)
By PETER JACKSON
PITTSBURGH (AP) - Former Steelers star Lynn Swann declared his candidacy for Pennsylvania governor Wednesday in the city where he made his name in professional football."
"Either we are serious...... or are we not"
Do the democrats really stand for not allowing us to listen to the foreign intercepts?
Politics News Article Reuters.com: "
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Vice President Dick Cheney strongly defended a secret domestic eavesdropping operation in use since the September 11, 2001, attacks, saying it was not violating American civil liberties and has helped fend off potential terrorist attacks.
'The enemy that struck on 9/11 is weakened and fractured yet it is still lethal and planning to hit us again. Either we are serious about fighting this war or we are not,' "
Politics News Article Reuters.com: "
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Vice President Dick Cheney strongly defended a secret domestic eavesdropping operation in use since the September 11, 2001, attacks, saying it was not violating American civil liberties and has helped fend off potential terrorist attacks.
'The enemy that struck on 9/11 is weakened and fractured yet it is still lethal and planning to hit us again. Either we are serious about fighting this war or we are not,' "
Wednesday, January 04, 2006
The future?
OpinionJournal - Extra: "in your advanced industrial democracy, the political platforms of at least one party in the United States and pretty much all parties in the rest of the West are largely about what one would call the secondary impulses of society--government health care, government day care (which Canada's thinking of introducing), government paternity leave (which Britain's just introduced). We've prioritized the secondary impulse over the primary ones: national defense, family, faith and, most basic of all, reproductive activity--'Go forth and multiply,' because if you don't you won't be able to afford all those secondary-impulse issues, like cradle-to-grave welfare. "
Ace of Spades HQ
Check out this photo of a guy under major media scrutiny. Who is telling this guy how to dress? What a bozo.....
Ace of Spades HQ: "Abramoff's Plea Deal Requires He Dress Like B-Movie Heavy For Rest Of Life
Either that his public relations consultant is Toht from Raiders of the Lost Ark.
Yeah, that's a good look for a man accused of serious crimes. Now all he needs to do is complete the ensemble by burning the relief of a $100 Indian casino chip into his palm."
Ace of Spades HQ: "Abramoff's Plea Deal Requires He Dress Like B-Movie Heavy For Rest Of Life
Either that his public relations consultant is Toht from Raiders of the Lost Ark.
Yeah, that's a good look for a man accused of serious crimes. Now all he needs to do is complete the ensemble by burning the relief of a $100 Indian casino chip into his palm."
Bill Gill out! Democrat schism?
The County Commission has shown some real class. Rejecting the racebaiting of Bill Gill and his supporters, they elected a quality democrat and the supremely qualified republican, John Snider as vice-chairman.
For those Gill supporters, name one.... just one accomplishment of Bill Gill. What will be his legacy as a long term commissioner?
The next question is how does a democrat controlled county commission, 7 demos to 4 repubs, elect a republican as vice chair? What's up with the elected democrats?
For those Gill supporters, name one.... just one accomplishment of Bill Gill. What will be his legacy as a long term commissioner?
The next question is how does a democrat controlled county commission, 7 demos to 4 repubs, elect a republican as vice chair? What's up with the elected democrats?
Pension issues
Mlive.com's Printer-Friendly Page: "Pension issues land at Muskegon's feet
Pension costs don't bedevil only big corporations, like personnel-heavy airlines or automakers. They're a big expenditure, too, for municipalities -- and taxpayers -- and must be addressed.
Retired city of Muskegon employees now actually outnumber active employees 300 to 275, and the city must set aside more than $1.8 million on an annual basis to fulfill its pension obligations to them. Those retirees are the lucky ones. Think of all the underfunded pension plans in the private sector that have been slimed by corporate skullduggery in recent years.
Personnel spending is the biggest component of a city's budget. It goes to police who patrol your neighborhood, the firefighters who respond quickly to an emergency, the men who plow your street in the middle of the night.
Obviously, local governments can't simply dissolve the pensions earned by such individuals, the way some troubled private corporations have done recently, nor should they. These are legal obligations that have to be met not just by force of law, but out of a sense of honor and decency that says -- or used to -- that a promise is a promise.
However, cities can and should find new ways of addressing those costs.
Muskegon took what looks like a good step when it changed the way it deals with its new employees. Instead of saying it will pay them a certain number of dollars for every year of service, it is requiring them to pay some of the cost. And it gives them a say in how those dollars are invested. That, and the fact that those benefits can transfer to a new employer, give workers a feeling of ownership and responsibility for their futures. More importantly, the new employees understand up front how the system works.
The city also is shifting non"
Pension costs don't bedevil only big corporations, like personnel-heavy airlines or automakers. They're a big expenditure, too, for municipalities -- and taxpayers -- and must be addressed.
Retired city of Muskegon employees now actually outnumber active employees 300 to 275, and the city must set aside more than $1.8 million on an annual basis to fulfill its pension obligations to them. Those retirees are the lucky ones. Think of all the underfunded pension plans in the private sector that have been slimed by corporate skullduggery in recent years.
Personnel spending is the biggest component of a city's budget. It goes to police who patrol your neighborhood, the firefighters who respond quickly to an emergency, the men who plow your street in the middle of the night.
Obviously, local governments can't simply dissolve the pensions earned by such individuals, the way some troubled private corporations have done recently, nor should they. These are legal obligations that have to be met not just by force of law, but out of a sense of honor and decency that says -- or used to -- that a promise is a promise.
However, cities can and should find new ways of addressing those costs.
Muskegon took what looks like a good step when it changed the way it deals with its new employees. Instead of saying it will pay them a certain number of dollars for every year of service, it is requiring them to pay some of the cost. And it gives them a say in how those dollars are invested. That, and the fact that those benefits can transfer to a new employer, give workers a feeling of ownership and responsibility for their futures. More importantly, the new employees understand up front how the system works.
The city also is shifting non"
Abramoff
Mlive.com's Printer-Friendly Page: "
Abramoff scandal ticking time-bomb for Republicans
Tuesday, December 06, 2005
The worst apparently isn't over for the reeling presidency of George W. Bush and the Republican majority in Congress, and the name of perhaps the most potent ticking political time-bomb is Jack Abramoff.
It's not as if the national GOP hasn't already blundered into the corruption minefield. A special prosecutor's probe into a potentially treasonous political smear against an Iraq war critic has forced the resignation of I. Lewis 'Scooter' Libby, Vice President Dick Cheney's chief of staff. Cheney himself remains a person of interest in that investigation, as does President George W. Bush's political guru, Karl Rove -- and others.
U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay, R-Texas, has been forced to step down from his role as Majority Leader in the U.S. House of Representatives to face indictment on money laundering charges. Over on the U.S. Senate side, U.S. Sen. Bill Frist, R-Tenn., is under criminal scrutiny for ethics violations related to possible insider trading.
That's just the tip of the pyramid. The list of GOP political figures caught up in the net of the still-burgeoning Abramoff influence-peddling scandal has expanded exponentially as dozens of Republican legislators have been exposed for accepting tainted contributions from the powerful lobbyist and his associates.
That net is rapidly closing. Michael Scanlon, Abramoff's business partner, pleaded guilty to conspiracy last week in exchange for turning prosecution's witness in the case, which involves at its core hefty cash-for-legislative favors. The allegations include helping Indian tribe clients of Abramoff's secure sweetheart deals on Capitol Hill for their casino operations against competitors .
Abramoff's infl"
Abramoff scandal ticking time-bomb for Republicans
Tuesday, December 06, 2005
The worst apparently isn't over for the reeling presidency of George W. Bush and the Republican majority in Congress, and the name of perhaps the most potent ticking political time-bomb is Jack Abramoff.
It's not as if the national GOP hasn't already blundered into the corruption minefield. A special prosecutor's probe into a potentially treasonous political smear against an Iraq war critic has forced the resignation of I. Lewis 'Scooter' Libby, Vice President Dick Cheney's chief of staff. Cheney himself remains a person of interest in that investigation, as does President George W. Bush's political guru, Karl Rove -- and others.
U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay, R-Texas, has been forced to step down from his role as Majority Leader in the U.S. House of Representatives to face indictment on money laundering charges. Over on the U.S. Senate side, U.S. Sen. Bill Frist, R-Tenn., is under criminal scrutiny for ethics violations related to possible insider trading.
That's just the tip of the pyramid. The list of GOP political figures caught up in the net of the still-burgeoning Abramoff influence-peddling scandal has expanded exponentially as dozens of Republican legislators have been exposed for accepting tainted contributions from the powerful lobbyist and his associates.
That net is rapidly closing. Michael Scanlon, Abramoff's business partner, pleaded guilty to conspiracy last week in exchange for turning prosecution's witness in the case, which involves at its core hefty cash-for-legislative favors. The allegations include helping Indian tribe clients of Abramoff's secure sweetheart deals on Capitol Hill for their casino operations against competitors .
Abramoff's infl"
Gee what asurprise!
Mlive.com's Printer-Friendly Page: "Gee, what a surprise
It seems President George W. Bush actually did have access to more sensitive intelligence information than members of Congress in spite of his angry speeches to the contrary.
Bush has said time and again that 'some of the most irresponsible comments about manipulating intelligence -- have come from politicians who saw the same intelligence I saw and then voted to authorize the use of force against Saddam Hussein.'
Our opinion has been that such claims by the president are just not believable, since so many policy experts have stated for the record that the White House inner circle and perhaps a few well-placed representatives are privy to far more detailed intelligence information than your average elected representative.
And even fewer have access to the original source material, or the insider debates about how to present such material, which are classified top secret.
Now, that viewpoint is official. A new congressional report made public last week by the bipartisan Congressional Research Service concludes that President Bush and his close advisors do indeed 'have access to a far greater volume of intelligence and to more sensitive intelligence information.'
Gee, what a surprise. The only other bigger surprise would be the president admitting he has been misleading the public on this vital point about his decision to go to war. "
It seems President George W. Bush actually did have access to more sensitive intelligence information than members of Congress in spite of his angry speeches to the contrary.
Bush has said time and again that 'some of the most irresponsible comments about manipulating intelligence -- have come from politicians who saw the same intelligence I saw and then voted to authorize the use of force against Saddam Hussein.'
Our opinion has been that such claims by the president are just not believable, since so many policy experts have stated for the record that the White House inner circle and perhaps a few well-placed representatives are privy to far more detailed intelligence information than your average elected representative.
And even fewer have access to the original source material, or the insider debates about how to present such material, which are classified top secret.
Now, that viewpoint is official. A new congressional report made public last week by the bipartisan Congressional Research Service concludes that President Bush and his close advisors do indeed 'have access to a far greater volume of intelligence and to more sensitive intelligence information.'
Gee, what a surprise. The only other bigger surprise would be the president admitting he has been misleading the public on this vital point about his decision to go to war. "
Rich Lowry on War & National Security Agency on National Review Online
Rich Lowry on War & National Security Agency on National Review Online: "Every administration, liberal or conservative, has claimed this warrantless surveillance power, and no court has ever denied it. The FISA court of review explained, citing the 14th Circuit's 1980 decision in a case involving the surveillance of a Vietnamese spy named David Truong, 'The Truong court, as did all the other courts to have decided the issue, held that the President did have inherent authority to conduct warrantless searches to obtain foreign intelligence information.' The court added, 'We take it for granted that the President does have that authority.'"
Judge decideshe can't stopcounty boardchair election
Judge decideshe can't stopcounty boardchair election: "Judge decideshe can't stopcounty boardchair election
Wednesday, January 04, 2006
By Steve Gunn
CHRONICLE STAFF WRITER
The Bill Gill county board chairmanship controversy rages on, following an inconclusive hearing Tuesday in 14th Circuit Court. "
Wednesday, January 04, 2006
By Steve Gunn
CHRONICLE STAFF WRITER
The Bill Gill county board chairmanship controversy rages on, following an inconclusive hearing Tuesday in 14th Circuit Court. "
Any hope for Muskegon?
Probably not until they realize their problem is what the City does, not what employers do. When was the last time anyone (Chronicle?) asked a businessperson who chose to relocate elsewhere why they chose a location other than Muskegon? I guess it's best to not ask a question if you don't want to hear the answer. Bummer....
What's is it with democrats?
For what seems like the hundredth time a newly introduced, friendly democrat gave me a "compliment".
"gee, for a republican, you're not such a bad guy". Add "stupid", "greedy", "selfish" I received from others. My new democrat "friend" preened as she glowed in her good nature......
"gee, for a republican, you're not such a bad guy". Add "stupid", "greedy", "selfish" I received from others. My new democrat "friend" preened as she glowed in her good nature......
Guilty of murder?
St. Paul Pioneer Press 12/24/2005 Two charged in teen's heroin death: "Posted on Sat, Dec. 24, 2005Two charged in teen's heroin deathAssociated PressTwo people remain in jail Friday after being charged in the death of a 17-year-old Cedarburg girl who died of a heroin overdose shortly after getting her driver's license.Benjamin R. Stibbe, 23, of Grafton and Caitlin E. Schuette, 17, of Cedarburg were each charged Thursday with first-degree reckless homicide in the death of Angela Raettig, who died Nov. 30 of a heroin overdose, according to a criminal complaint.The two are being charged under Wisconsin's rarely used 1989 Len Bias law, which allows for someone who provides drugs that are a 'substantial factor' in a death to be prosecuted for homicide.Bias, a star basketball player at the University of Maryland and draft pick of the Boston Celtics, died of a drug overdose in 1986.Schuette and Stibbe face up to 40 years in prison if convicted of the charges. Stibbe is being held in lieu of $50,000 bond and Schuette's bond is set at $30,000, jail officials said.According to the criminal complaint, Schuette, Raettig and 19-year-old Ryan Hinkle were at Hinkle's apartment Nov. 29.'(Schuette) stated that Angela had just gotten her driver's license and they had decided to go to Milwaukee to get some heroin,' the complaint said.Stibbe says Raettig called him on Scheutte's cell phone to set up the transaction, but Stibbe refused to deal with Raettig since he did not know her or Hinkle, the complaint said.He agreed to arrange the purchase once Schuette, whom he knew, got on the phone, and the complaint says Stibbe and the group met in Milwaukee with a heroin dealer.Stibbe told investigators Schuette gave him $50 and Raettig gave him two $20 bills, which he used to buy four bags of an unspecified amount of heroi"
Tuesday, January 03, 2006
better every year
Instapundit.com -: "Then again, maybe that attitude is explained by this passage: 'During an election year, D.C.'s standards of attractiveness -- already graded on a generous curve -- tracked to availability and not physical beauty. It's like the Special Olympics of sex, Melanie thought. Everyone's a winner!'
Unlike the lovers, the laptops get better every year . . . .
posted at 08:25 PM by Glenn Reynolds"
Unlike the lovers, the laptops get better every year . . . .
posted at 08:25 PM by Glenn Reynolds"
Global warming junk science
Mlive.com's Printer-Friendly Page: "
Global warming evidence is truly frightening
Wednesday, December 14, 2005
The recent United Nations Climate Change Conference ended on a disturbing note -- and no, it wasn't the weaseling diplomatic posture of the United States in regards to its responsibilities as a member of the world community to reduce the so-called 'greenhouse gases' that may well be contributing to the phenomena of global warming. It was the actual evidence itself that keeps mounting up even as we Americans do our best to pretend nothing much out of the ordinary is really happening.
Two recent developments have added an additional chill to the other scientific warnings that have been piling up since the 1960s, when scientists recorded global temperatures inching higher. The first was a finding by a team of European researchers studying ice core samples drawn from the innermost recesses of Antarctica. They show that there is more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere today than at any point during the last 650,000 years.
The second is a more recent finding, that of the measurement of the currents that flow in the Atlantic Ocean that carries warmer Gulf Stream water toward Northern Europe. The overall circulation of these currents, say scientists from the National Oceanography Center in Great Britain, has slowed by some 30 percent since a similar set of measurements was examined back in 1957. The Atlantic Current directly impacts weather in Europe, and a slowdown would be expected to have a tremendous impact on conditions ranging from weather to ocean fisheries.
Meanwhile, an almost stunning range of climate-related data continues to pour in -- the melting of ancient glaciers worldwide, the shrinking of the North Pole and speculation that it might disappear entirely within our children's lifetimes, t"
Global warming evidence is truly frightening
Wednesday, December 14, 2005
The recent United Nations Climate Change Conference ended on a disturbing note -- and no, it wasn't the weaseling diplomatic posture of the United States in regards to its responsibilities as a member of the world community to reduce the so-called 'greenhouse gases' that may well be contributing to the phenomena of global warming. It was the actual evidence itself that keeps mounting up even as we Americans do our best to pretend nothing much out of the ordinary is really happening.
Two recent developments have added an additional chill to the other scientific warnings that have been piling up since the 1960s, when scientists recorded global temperatures inching higher. The first was a finding by a team of European researchers studying ice core samples drawn from the innermost recesses of Antarctica. They show that there is more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere today than at any point during the last 650,000 years.
The second is a more recent finding, that of the measurement of the currents that flow in the Atlantic Ocean that carries warmer Gulf Stream water toward Northern Europe. The overall circulation of these currents, say scientists from the National Oceanography Center in Great Britain, has slowed by some 30 percent since a similar set of measurements was examined back in 1957. The Atlantic Current directly impacts weather in Europe, and a slowdown would be expected to have a tremendous impact on conditions ranging from weather to ocean fisheries.
Meanwhile, an almost stunning range of climate-related data continues to pour in -- the melting of ancient glaciers worldwide, the shrinking of the North Pole and speculation that it might disappear entirely within our children's lifetimes, t"
Chronicle continues its race baiting
If there is some "there" there, then this is a worthy story. Anyone gotta a guess what really happened and how the Chronicle will report it if the "there" doesn't exist? Gotta love their commitment to better race relations....... sophistry!
Mlive.com's Printer-Friendly Page: "
Parent accuses school district of racist treatment
Monday, January 02, 2006
By Nate Reens
CHRONICLE NEWS SERVICE
A former third-grader at a Benzie County school alleges in a federal lawsuit that administrators forced her to use a separate bathroom and students taunted her with racial slurs and threats because she is black.
Mlive.com's Printer-Friendly Page: "
Parent accuses school district of racist treatment
Monday, January 02, 2006
By Nate Reens
CHRONICLE NEWS SERVICE
A former third-grader at a Benzie County school alleges in a federal lawsuit that administrators forced her to use a separate bathroom and students taunted her with racial slurs and threats because she is black.
Imagine if Gill was white....
... and said the same crap!
Mlive.com's Printer-Friendly Page: "
County board chairman fight goes to court
Tuesday, January 03, 2006
By Steve Gunn
CHRONICLE STAFF WRITER
If it comes, the election of the Muskegon County Board chairman likely will qualify as an anti-climax compared to the pre-election uproar.
Lawyers were scheduled to be in court today fighting over whether a chairman's election should be part of the board's annual organizational meeting Wednesday.
Bill Gill, the current board chairman, recently filed suit in 14th Circuit Court, seeking to determine whether the majority of county commissioners have the legal right to replace him as chairman.
The suit named commissioners John Snider, Chuck Buzzell, James Derezinski, Robert Scolnik, Marvin Engle and Steve Wisniewski as defendants.
Mlive.com's Printer-Friendly Page: "
County board chairman fight goes to court
Tuesday, January 03, 2006
By Steve Gunn
CHRONICLE STAFF WRITER
If it comes, the election of the Muskegon County Board chairman likely will qualify as an anti-climax compared to the pre-election uproar.
Lawyers were scheduled to be in court today fighting over whether a chairman's election should be part of the board's annual organizational meeting Wednesday.
Bill Gill, the current board chairman, recently filed suit in 14th Circuit Court, seeking to determine whether the majority of county commissioners have the legal right to replace him as chairman.
The suit named commissioners John Snider, Chuck Buzzell, James Derezinski, Robert Scolnik, Marvin Engle and Steve Wisniewski as defendants.
Sunday, January 01, 2006
Micheal Andretti back at Indy 500 this year!
Al right! He may be a geezer, but he's a legend and the son of a greater legend! Yeah!
Saturday, December 17, 2005
Newspaper ignorance!
Why even read the junk science these ignoramuses print?
Mlive.com's Printer-Friendly Page: "
Error shifts local rankings on bad air 'list of infamy'
Thursday, December 15, 2005
By Jeff Alexander and Dave LeMieux
CHRONICLE STAFF WRITERS
Muskegon Heights can breathe easy, but Muskegon County residents who live along the Lake Michigan coast may be wheezy due to industrial air pollution that blows across the lake from Chicago and Gary, Ind.
That was the gist of a correction The Associated Press issued late Wednesday, after the news service reported that people living in Muskegon Heights breathe some of the nation's most polluted air.
An AP story read on TV newscasts and published in newspapers across the state Wednesday, including The Chronicle, reported that four of the state's five most at-risk neighborhoods for health hazards due to industrial air pollution were in Muskegon Heights. As it turns out, residents in four mostly white areas in Muskegon, Norton Shores and Roosevelt Park face some of the nation's most serious health risks from breathing polluted air, according to EPA data analyzed by the AP.
Local health officials said they are skeptical of the rankings and the methods used to create them.
'It doesn't seem plausible to me,' said Ken Kraus, director of the Muskegon County Health Department. 'It would seem to me that places producing the pollution, places like Houston, Detroit and Gary, would have the highest pollution levels.
'There has to be some dissipation of that stuff (smog-forming air pollution) when it comes across the lake,' Kraus said.
Muskegon Heights City Manager Melvin C. Burns II said he didn't think Wednesday's erroneous article will have a long-range negative effect on the city.
'It's safe to breathe the air in Muskegon Heights,' Burns said. 'We kno"
Mlive.com's Printer-Friendly Page: "
Error shifts local rankings on bad air 'list of infamy'
Thursday, December 15, 2005
By Jeff Alexander and Dave LeMieux
CHRONICLE STAFF WRITERS
Muskegon Heights can breathe easy, but Muskegon County residents who live along the Lake Michigan coast may be wheezy due to industrial air pollution that blows across the lake from Chicago and Gary, Ind.
That was the gist of a correction The Associated Press issued late Wednesday, after the news service reported that people living in Muskegon Heights breathe some of the nation's most polluted air.
An AP story read on TV newscasts and published in newspapers across the state Wednesday, including The Chronicle, reported that four of the state's five most at-risk neighborhoods for health hazards due to industrial air pollution were in Muskegon Heights. As it turns out, residents in four mostly white areas in Muskegon, Norton Shores and Roosevelt Park face some of the nation's most serious health risks from breathing polluted air, according to EPA data analyzed by the AP.
Local health officials said they are skeptical of the rankings and the methods used to create them.
'It doesn't seem plausible to me,' said Ken Kraus, director of the Muskegon County Health Department. 'It would seem to me that places producing the pollution, places like Houston, Detroit and Gary, would have the highest pollution levels.
'There has to be some dissipation of that stuff (smog-forming air pollution) when it comes across the lake,' Kraus said.
Muskegon Heights City Manager Melvin C. Burns II said he didn't think Wednesday's erroneous article will have a long-range negative effect on the city.
'It's safe to breathe the air in Muskegon Heights,' Burns said. 'We kno"
Huh?
Didn't Gary Thrasher just stiff a bunch of folks who he owed money to at Dockers?
Planning commission OKs permit for tavern: "Planning commission OKs permit for tavern
Saturday, December 17, 2005
By Robert C. Burns
CHRONICLE STAFF WRITER
A bar and restaurant planned for West Western Avenue in downtown Muskegon got a boost from the city's planning commission Thursday.
Planning commissioners unanimously approved a special-use permit for the single-story building at 609 W. Western -- future home of The Tipsy Toad Tavern........
Gary Thrasher, Hoby's older brother, describes himself as a 'managing partner' in The Tipsy Toad. He also has been involved in a number of local drinking and dining establishments, most recently Dockers at Harbour Towne. "
Planning commission OKs permit for tavern: "Planning commission OKs permit for tavern
Saturday, December 17, 2005
By Robert C. Burns
CHRONICLE STAFF WRITER
A bar and restaurant planned for West Western Avenue in downtown Muskegon got a boost from the city's planning commission Thursday.
Planning commissioners unanimously approved a special-use permit for the single-story building at 609 W. Western -- future home of The Tipsy Toad Tavern........
Gary Thrasher, Hoby's older brother, describes himself as a 'managing partner' in The Tipsy Toad. He also has been involved in a number of local drinking and dining establishments, most recently Dockers at Harbour Towne. "
Monday, November 21, 2005
Clinton's "Boogie to Baghdad"
Chronicle kinda forgot to HEADLINE this fact....bummer.
Remember please remember "Boogie to Baghdad": "In case you don't remember, "Boogie to Baghdad" is the phrase that Richard Clarke, when he was the top White House counterterrorism official during the Clinton administration, used to express his fear that if American forces pushed Osama bin Laden too hard at his hideout in Afghanistan, bin Laden might move to Iraq, where he could stay in the protection of Saddam Hussein."
Remember please remember "Boogie to Baghdad": "In case you don't remember, "Boogie to Baghdad" is the phrase that Richard Clarke, when he was the top White House counterterrorism official during the Clinton administration, used to express his fear that if American forces pushed Osama bin Laden too hard at his hideout in Afghanistan, bin Laden might move to Iraq, where he could stay in the protection of Saddam Hussein."
Thursday, November 17, 2005
Anita Bryant's Cure
Didn't this gal used to sell Florida orange juice?
Anita Bryant's Cure (National Lampoon Spoof: 1977)
Anita Bryant's Cure (National Lampoon Spoof: 1977)
In Remembrance
Remembering those who gave the last full measure.
In Remembrance: "The Moving Tributes below were created by friends and family of the men and women featured on the In Remembrance site.
To view a tribute, please click on the service member's name. The tribute will load in a new window"
In Remembrance: "The Moving Tributes below were created by friends and family of the men and women featured on the In Remembrance site.
To view a tribute, please click on the service member's name. The tribute will load in a new window"
Shop-Till-You-Drop Specials, Revealed Here First - New York Times
Amazing site for SuperShoppers
The NYT finally has a column without a lie!
The "specials" site is bf2005.net
Shop-Till-You-Drop Specials, Revealed Here First - New York Times:
"November 17, 2005
Shop-Till-You-Drop Specials, Revealed Here First
By MICHAEL BARBARO
For retailers, the day after Thanksgiving is a painstakingly orchestrated affair.
Prices are scientifically slashed, down to the penny. Sales begin at dawn. And glossy circulars containing the well-laid plans are distributed just a day or two ahead to keep consumers and competitors in the dark.
Or at least that is how it worked before people like Michael Brim came along. From a cramped dorm room in California, Mr. Brim, an 18-year-old college freshman who dines on Lucky Charms and says he rarely shops, is abruptly pulling back the curtain on the biggest shopping day of the year.
His Web site, BF2005.net, publishes the circulars for what retailers call Black Friday - the day that officially starts the holiday shopping season - weeks ahead of time.
So far this year, sources have leaked advertisements to him from Toys 'R' Us (showing the Barbie Fashion Show Mall, regularly $99.99, for $29.97); Sears (a Canon ZR100 MiniDV camcorder, regularly $329.99, for $249.99); and Ace Hardware (a Skil 12-volt drill, regularly $44.99, for $24.99)."
The NYT finally has a column without a lie!
The "specials" site is bf2005.net
Shop-Till-You-Drop Specials, Revealed Here First - New York Times:
"November 17, 2005
Shop-Till-You-Drop Specials, Revealed Here First
By MICHAEL BARBARO
For retailers, the day after Thanksgiving is a painstakingly orchestrated affair.
Prices are scientifically slashed, down to the penny. Sales begin at dawn. And glossy circulars containing the well-laid plans are distributed just a day or two ahead to keep consumers and competitors in the dark.
Or at least that is how it worked before people like Michael Brim came along. From a cramped dorm room in California, Mr. Brim, an 18-year-old college freshman who dines on Lucky Charms and says he rarely shops, is abruptly pulling back the curtain on the biggest shopping day of the year.
His Web site, BF2005.net, publishes the circulars for what retailers call Black Friday - the day that officially starts the holiday shopping season - weeks ahead of time.
So far this year, sources have leaked advertisements to him from Toys 'R' Us (showing the Barbie Fashion Show Mall, regularly $99.99, for $29.97); Sears (a Canon ZR100 MiniDV camcorder, regularly $329.99, for $249.99); and Ace Hardware (a Skil 12-volt drill, regularly $44.99, for $24.99)."
Wednesday, November 16, 2005
NS Mayor has his own plans!
Chronicle shocked!
Mlive.com's Printer-Friendly Page: "City faces some 'hard decisions,' new mayor says
Tuesday, November 15, 2005
By Nancy Stier
CHRONICLE CORRESPONDENT
New Norton Shores Mayor Jerry Wiersma said the city faces some 'hard decisions' because voters last week rejected a new charter that would have allowed for gradual increases in property taxes.
But Wiersma, sworn in Monday as the new mayor after giving up the city council seat he has held for 18 years, plans to go slow at first.
He said that during his first few months in office he intends to 'feel my way along,' essentially preserving the status quo until the council collectively works with staff in February on the next city budget. "
Mlive.com's Printer-Friendly Page: "City faces some 'hard decisions,' new mayor says
Tuesday, November 15, 2005
By Nancy Stier
CHRONICLE CORRESPONDENT
New Norton Shores Mayor Jerry Wiersma said the city faces some 'hard decisions' because voters last week rejected a new charter that would have allowed for gradual increases in property taxes.
But Wiersma, sworn in Monday as the new mayor after giving up the city council seat he has held for 18 years, plans to go slow at first.
He said that during his first few months in office he intends to 'feel my way along,' essentially preserving the status quo until the council collectively works with staff in February on the next city budget. "
Irony?
The Chronicle posits that a wife cheater can't promote the institution of marriage. Suggesting "just go away". Never heard that during their Clinton crush. Hypocracy!
Mlive.com's Printer-Friendly Page: "There is a certain irony here, especially in Cox's case, that bears a parting comment. This Attorney General was a poster boy for last year's anti-gay marriage amendment, and for taking away unmarried partner benefits in alliance with those who scream these are destroying 'the sacred institution of marriage.' Such hypocrisy.
Please, Mr. Cox and Mr. Fieger: Just go away. "
Mlive.com's Printer-Friendly Page: "There is a certain irony here, especially in Cox's case, that bears a parting comment. This Attorney General was a poster boy for last year's anti-gay marriage amendment, and for taking away unmarried partner benefits in alliance with those who scream these are destroying 'the sacred institution of marriage.' Such hypocrisy.
Please, Mr. Cox and Mr. Fieger: Just go away. "
Chronicle idiocy about the NS millage
The Chronicle editorial board has no clue about how a city might "maintain services" other than to give polititians a blank check. Well, how 'bout demanding that our leaders articulate the specifics of the spending need? And show us how they've been thrifty in the past?
Mlive.com's Printer-Friendly Page: "Voters left communities without answers
Sunday, November 13, 2005
The hard work of actually running local government became much more difficult last week after voters in Norton Shores, Roosevelt Park, North Muskegon and Grand Haven, and a number of local townships, turned down ballot issues that, yes, would have raised taxes, but more importantly were aimed at keeping communities livable and safe.
So now that the voters have had their say at the ballot box on these various tax-related issues, what can local officials do to maintain the services people expect and deserve. Anyone? "
Mlive.com's Printer-Friendly Page: "Voters left communities without answers
Sunday, November 13, 2005
The hard work of actually running local government became much more difficult last week after voters in Norton Shores, Roosevelt Park, North Muskegon and Grand Haven, and a number of local townships, turned down ballot issues that, yes, would have raised taxes, but more importantly were aimed at keeping communities livable and safe.
So now that the voters have had their say at the ballot box on these various tax-related issues, what can local officials do to maintain the services people expect and deserve. Anyone? "
The Chronicle doesn't tell you this!
Amazing how the MSM kinda forgets this stuff....
This war is for real: "1. When did the threat to us start?
Many will say September 11, 2001. The answer, as far as the United States is concerned, is 1979 � 22 years prior to September 2001 � with the following attacks on us:
Iran Embassy Hostages, 1979;
Beirut, Lebanon, Embassy, 1983;
Beirut, Lebanon, Marine Barracks, 1983;
Lockerbie, Scotland, Pan-Am flight to New York, 1988;
First New York World Trade Center attack, 1993;
Oklahoma City � Murrah Federal Building, 1995;
Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, Khobar Towers Military complex, 1996;
Nairobi, Kenya, U.S. Embassy, 1998;
Dares Salaam, Tanzania, U.S. Embassy, 1998;
Aden, Yemen, USS Cole, 2000;
New York, World Trade Center, 2001;
Pentagon, 2001;
Shanksville, Pennsylvania, Plane Crash, 2001
(Note that during the period from 1981 to 2001 there were 7,581 terrorist attacks worldwide). "
This war is for real: "1. When did the threat to us start?
Many will say September 11, 2001. The answer, as far as the United States is concerned, is 1979 � 22 years prior to September 2001 � with the following attacks on us:
Iran Embassy Hostages, 1979;
Beirut, Lebanon, Embassy, 1983;
Beirut, Lebanon, Marine Barracks, 1983;
Lockerbie, Scotland, Pan-Am flight to New York, 1988;
First New York World Trade Center attack, 1993;
Oklahoma City � Murrah Federal Building, 1995;
Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, Khobar Towers Military complex, 1996;
Nairobi, Kenya, U.S. Embassy, 1998;
Dares Salaam, Tanzania, U.S. Embassy, 1998;
Aden, Yemen, USS Cole, 2000;
New York, World Trade Center, 2001;
Pentagon, 2001;
Shanksville, Pennsylvania, Plane Crash, 2001
(Note that during the period from 1981 to 2001 there were 7,581 terrorist attacks worldwide). "
Friday, June 17, 2005
Lots of complaints about Muskegon Cops, or the lack of...
If this isn't addressed soon the City may well go the way of Benton Harbor.
MLive.com: Muskegon Town Talk Forum
6462. ? about police dept.
by missygal, 6/17/05 9:10 ET
We had a problem in our area with teens/people destroying property during the night and when I asked why the patrol cars don't notice things going on I was told that we only have 4 patrol cars for the whole city at night and those officers have to answer all types of calls that come in. I was also told that there are more officers who work inside the dept. mostly during the day hours than really necessary. Instead of putting them on the road our chief has decided to have them "inside" even the new officers that we thought were going to be out on patrol. During the day we have a few more "community officers" on duty but they have other jobs to do under their job description too
MLive.com: Muskegon Town Talk Forum
6462. ? about police dept.
by missygal, 6/17/05 9:10 ET
We had a problem in our area with teens/people destroying property during the night and when I asked why the patrol cars don't notice things going on I was told that we only have 4 patrol cars for the whole city at night and those officers have to answer all types of calls that come in. I was also told that there are more officers who work inside the dept. mostly during the day hours than really necessary. Instead of putting them on the road our chief has decided to have them "inside" even the new officers that we thought were going to be out on patrol. During the day we have a few more "community officers" on duty but they have other jobs to do under their job description too
Senior Democrat gives aid to our enemies!
If there is any question about differences between the GOPers and the Democrats, Durban's sick rant should end the debate. He's the second highest ranking Demo senator. The Democrats are clearly the political party that supports the forces who would kill our soldiers. Disgusting. And the MSM won't let the masses know the truth.
Nets Target U.S. Military "Abuses," But Skip Dick Durbins "Nazi" Rant " -- 06/16/2005 - Media Research Center - Media Reality Check: "A Democratic Senate Senate Leader Compares American Soldiers To POL POT, Stalin's Gulag, and Nazis- Why Is That Not News?
Nets Target U.S. Military 'Abuses,'
But Skip Dick Durbins 'Nazi' Rant '
Complaints about the U.S. military's treatment of terrorists at Guantanamo Bay were once again featured on all three broadcast network evening newscasts Wednesday. Full stories on ABC, CBS and NBC cast the military on the defensive at congressional hearings. CBS Evening News anchor Bob Schieffer � who has likened Guantanamo to the 'Hanoi Hilton,' the infamous North Vietnamese prison camp � grumped that 'Congress asked a lot of questions today' about Guantanamo, but 'the problem is, they didn't get many answers.'
ABC followed up its story on yesterday's hearings with a second full report by ABC's Terry Moran, who zeroed in on a memo written more than two years ago by a Navy lawyer questioning the interrogation techniques at Guantanamo. Only in the last sentence of a nearly three-minute story did Moran allow how the issue is really moot, as Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld had 'dialed back' the rules of interrogation in early 2003.
But while the networks kept their spotlight on the U.S. military's conduct, none of last night's broadcasts bothered to note a Tuesday speech by Minority Whip Dick Durbin � the second highest ranking Democrat in the Senate. Describing the treatment of al-Qaeda terrorists at the Guantanamo prison � including allegations that inmates are kept too hot or too cold, or forced to stay awake � Durbin wildly charged that 'you would most certainly believe this must have been done by Nazis, Soviets in their gulags, or some "
Nets Target U.S. Military "Abuses," But Skip Dick Durbins "Nazi" Rant " -- 06/16/2005 - Media Research Center - Media Reality Check: "A Democratic Senate Senate Leader Compares American Soldiers To POL POT, Stalin's Gulag, and Nazis- Why Is That Not News?
Nets Target U.S. Military 'Abuses,'
But Skip Dick Durbins 'Nazi' Rant '
Complaints about the U.S. military's treatment of terrorists at Guantanamo Bay were once again featured on all three broadcast network evening newscasts Wednesday. Full stories on ABC, CBS and NBC cast the military on the defensive at congressional hearings. CBS Evening News anchor Bob Schieffer � who has likened Guantanamo to the 'Hanoi Hilton,' the infamous North Vietnamese prison camp � grumped that 'Congress asked a lot of questions today' about Guantanamo, but 'the problem is, they didn't get many answers.'
ABC followed up its story on yesterday's hearings with a second full report by ABC's Terry Moran, who zeroed in on a memo written more than two years ago by a Navy lawyer questioning the interrogation techniques at Guantanamo. Only in the last sentence of a nearly three-minute story did Moran allow how the issue is really moot, as Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld had 'dialed back' the rules of interrogation in early 2003.
But while the networks kept their spotlight on the U.S. military's conduct, none of last night's broadcasts bothered to note a Tuesday speech by Minority Whip Dick Durbin � the second highest ranking Democrat in the Senate. Describing the treatment of al-Qaeda terrorists at the Guantanamo prison � including allegations that inmates are kept too hot or too cold, or forced to stay awake � Durbin wildly charged that 'you would most certainly believe this must have been done by Nazis, Soviets in their gulags, or some "
Wednesday, June 15, 2005
Legal opinion may break county impasse on board chair
Ain't legal opinions great?
Legal opinion may break county impasse on board chair: "Legal opinion may break county impasse on board chair
Tuesday, June 14, 2005
By Steve Gunn
CHRONICLE STAFF WRITER
Most Muskegon County commissioners have resisted making Bill Gill chairman of the county board, but it appears they may accept him in that role for at least six months due to the legal persuasion of Muskegon County Prosecutor Tony Tague.
In an opinion released to commissioners last week, Tague wrote that Gill, vice chairman of the county board, automatically became chairman when former Commissioner Paul Baade resigned from the position in May.
According to Tague, Gill has the legal right to complete the balance of Baade's term"
Legal opinion may break county impasse on board chair: "Legal opinion may break county impasse on board chair
Tuesday, June 14, 2005
By Steve Gunn
CHRONICLE STAFF WRITER
Most Muskegon County commissioners have resisted making Bill Gill chairman of the county board, but it appears they may accept him in that role for at least six months due to the legal persuasion of Muskegon County Prosecutor Tony Tague.
In an opinion released to commissioners last week, Tague wrote that Gill, vice chairman of the county board, automatically became chairman when former Commissioner Paul Baade resigned from the position in May.
According to Tague, Gill has the legal right to complete the balance of Baade's term"
Tuesday, June 14, 2005
Enviro-hypocrites!
Where are the hoards of environmentalists on this never-ending disgrace. If this was a tax-paying business dumping endlessly the enviro-leftists would (correctly) be screaming bloody murder! But because it is "government" pissing in our water it's OK? What hypocrites!
Warning issued after sewage overflow: "Warning issued after sewage overflow
Tuesday, June 14, 2005
FROM LOCAL REPORTS
A no-contact advisory has been issued for the entire length of the Grand River in Ottawa County until Thursday.
The advisory was issued Monday because the city of Grand Rapids released an estimated 1.73 million gallons of untreated sewage Saturday. The advisory will expire at 8 a.m. Thursday according to the Ottawa County Health Department. "
Warning issued after sewage overflow: "Warning issued after sewage overflow
Tuesday, June 14, 2005
FROM LOCAL REPORTS
A no-contact advisory has been issued for the entire length of the Grand River in Ottawa County until Thursday.
The advisory was issued Monday because the city of Grand Rapids released an estimated 1.73 million gallons of untreated sewage Saturday. The advisory will expire at 8 a.m. Thursday according to the Ottawa County Health Department. "
Forgot the "F" word!
This editorial from the Milwaukee Sentinel is "exhibit one" in media bias. They intentionally mislabel Democrats as Dixiecrats (a term made up by the media. The Senators were members of the Democrat Party, not the dixiecrat party.) and, what a surprise! They forget to mention that the Democrats used the FILIBUSTER to defeat this bill when it was introduced. But our media somehow forgets to tell us that it was the Democrat filibuster that kept the lynching bill from passing. But when GOPers want to restrict the Filibuster it's a horror. Gimme a break....
JS Online: Editorial: Senate apology is first step: "Editorial: Senate apology is first step
From the Journal Sentinel
Posted: June 13, 2005
For much of American history, the U.S. Senate did not acquit itself well on the issue of race. A particularly shameful chapter in that regard was the refusal of that august body in the first half of the last century to make lynching a federal crime. In defeating bills to do that time and again, Dixiecrats (as Southern Democrats were called) added insult to injury with oratory that described black men as beasts from whom white women needed protection, through lynchings.
JS Online: Editorial: Senate apology is first step: "Editorial: Senate apology is first step
From the Journal Sentinel
Posted: June 13, 2005
For much of American history, the U.S. Senate did not acquit itself well on the issue of race. A particularly shameful chapter in that regard was the refusal of that august body in the first half of the last century to make lynching a federal crime. In defeating bills to do that time and again, Dixiecrats (as Southern Democrats were called) added insult to injury with oratory that described black men as beasts from whom white women needed protection, through lynchings.
"Free" Healthcare Horror cont.
More horror stories from the "free healthcare" front. This time it's our old friend "Canadian Style Health Care".
OpinionJournal - Featured Article: "Unsocialized Medicine
A landmark ruling exposes Canada's health-care inequity.
Monday, June 13, 2005 12:01 a.m. EDT
Let's hope Hillary Clinton and Ted Kennedy were sitting down when they heard the news of the latest bombshell Supreme Court ruling. From the Supreme Court of Canada, that is. That high court issued an opinion last Thursday saying, in effect, that Canada's vaunted public health-care system produces intolerable inequality."
OpinionJournal - Featured Article: "Unsocialized Medicine
A landmark ruling exposes Canada's health-care inequity.
Monday, June 13, 2005 12:01 a.m. EDT
Let's hope Hillary Clinton and Ted Kennedy were sitting down when they heard the news of the latest bombshell Supreme Court ruling. From the Supreme Court of Canada, that is. That high court issued an opinion last Thursday saying, in effect, that Canada's vaunted public health-care system produces intolerable inequality."
Monday, June 13, 2005
Sorta familiar...
I sat on a jury where the facts were pretty clear that the guy did rape the gal. The problem was that the guy seemed to be a pretty nice fellow and the victim and her mother were really bad folks. Liars and thieves as the defense proved. I'm pretty sure that the guy did it but most everyone on the jury hated the victim and her mother so much that the perp walked. I would have been the only holdout and it would have resulted in a hung jury. So I folded. Mike Jackson won because his jury hated the mother of the main witness. I can't believe the prosecutor will be reelected
The promise of college
This is so wrong on so many levels but what the heck did they spend $875,000 on? Alarm clocks? There is no tuition in that number. And that insightful comment by the Baker College President has me shaking my head. If students don't get a guarantee of free college they won't graduate from high school? Asinine!
The promise of college: Read it all but this is the raw meat:
In contrast, LEAD 2005 was made possible by an $875,000 federal grant that paid for the advocates and student activities and field trips over the six years. In addition, more than $600,000 in tuition and college living costs are expected to be paid by GVSU, MCC, Baker and the Community Foundation for the next school year alone.
Rick Amidon, president of Baker College, believes that if students have doubts about their ability to afford college, they have a "disincentive" to graduate from high school. He said Baker -- where average annual tuition is $7,000 -- provided the tuition incentive because "it's the right thing to do."
"The fact (the advocates) were consistently there every year from seventh grade made all the difference in the world, and that teaches us a lot of things about how students should be educated."
"It's taking the time to do something different," Foster said. "You have to change your thoughts about education."
"You can get a kid to college, but you need to get them to believe it."
The promise of college: Read it all but this is the raw meat:
In contrast, LEAD 2005 was made possible by an $875,000 federal grant that paid for the advocates and student activities and field trips over the six years. In addition, more than $600,000 in tuition and college living costs are expected to be paid by GVSU, MCC, Baker and the Community Foundation for the next school year alone.
Rick Amidon, president of Baker College, believes that if students have doubts about their ability to afford college, they have a "disincentive" to graduate from high school. He said Baker -- where average annual tuition is $7,000 -- provided the tuition incentive because "it's the right thing to do."
"The fact (the advocates) were consistently there every year from seventh grade made all the difference in the world, and that teaches us a lot of things about how students should be educated."
"It's taking the time to do something different," Foster said. "You have to change your thoughts about education."
"You can get a kid to college, but you need to get them to believe it."
'One Muskegon' aims to promote 'all for one' idea
Another abominable idea in a series of abominable ideas but this one is even more insidious because the co-chairman is the publisher of The Chronicle. That means that only one side of the story will be told to the citizens of Muskegon. Watch out Muskegon!
'One Muskegon' aims to promote 'all for one' idea: "'One Muskegon' aims to promote 'all for one' idea
Sunday, June 12, 2005
By Dave Alexander
CHRONICLE BUSINESS EDITOR
A group of community leaders have concluded that Muskegon needs a 'unified' government and they have now formed a committee to make that happen.
Government consolidation has gone from the back burner to the forefront because of fiscal problems that grip nearly every local government in Muskegon County these days. Now the 'One Muskegon Task Force' has a four-point program of not only talking about functional and political consolidation, but establishing an action plan.
Co-chaired by Norton Shores Mayor Nancy Crandall and Muskegon Chronicle Publisher Gary Ostrom, the newly forming government consolidation group represents community leaders in business, government and nonprofit institutions. It's an offshoot of the Muskegon Area Children's Agenda, a Community Foundation for Muskegon County initiative examining ways to make the area better for children. "
'One Muskegon' aims to promote 'all for one' idea: "'One Muskegon' aims to promote 'all for one' idea
Sunday, June 12, 2005
By Dave Alexander
CHRONICLE BUSINESS EDITOR
A group of community leaders have concluded that Muskegon needs a 'unified' government and they have now formed a committee to make that happen.
Government consolidation has gone from the back burner to the forefront because of fiscal problems that grip nearly every local government in Muskegon County these days. Now the 'One Muskegon Task Force' has a four-point program of not only talking about functional and political consolidation, but establishing an action plan.
Co-chaired by Norton Shores Mayor Nancy Crandall and Muskegon Chronicle Publisher Gary Ostrom, the newly forming government consolidation group represents community leaders in business, government and nonprofit institutions. It's an offshoot of the Muskegon Area Children's Agenda, a Community Foundation for Muskegon County initiative examining ways to make the area better for children. "
WorldNetDaily: How to stop suicide bombers
Does anyone doubt that this would work? This was written in 2002! Read the whole piece.
WorldNetDaily: How to stop suicide bombers: "One sure way to stop the suicide bombers in Israel is to hold the parents responsible for their child's crime. "
In exchange for sacrificing their child, they receive from Saddam Hussein or Saudi Arabia a cash payment of $35,000.
....will that stop the suicide bombers? No. But executing the parents will.
WorldNetDaily: How to stop suicide bombers: "One sure way to stop the suicide bombers in Israel is to hold the parents responsible for their child's crime. "
In exchange for sacrificing their child, they receive from Saddam Hussein or Saudi Arabia a cash payment of $35,000.
....will that stop the suicide bombers? No. But executing the parents will.
Counter the lies!
The Neo-Libs and the MSM don't want you to read this. Decision 08 links to one of the most respected "on site" commentators in Iraq. Arm yourself with the truth and forward it to other openminded folks.
Decision '08: "Today's Must-Read: Good News From Iraq
One could be forgiven for thinking that Iraq was the biggest disaster since - well, since Vietnam, the MSM's favorite point of comparison. Granted, everyone had hoped things would be better than they are by now; still, things aren't ALL bad, and Arthur Chrenkoff's latest installment of Good News from Iraq provides a welcome counterpoint to all the doom and gloom, and a good reminder of why we're there and what we're fight for... "
from Chrenkoff: "Recent polling data shows that fully two-thirds of Iraqis believe their country is headed in the right direction, Saboon said. While a poll in January showed only 11 percent of Sunni Muslims in Iraq shared that view, that percentage has since grown to 40, he said.
Decision '08: "Today's Must-Read: Good News From Iraq
One could be forgiven for thinking that Iraq was the biggest disaster since - well, since Vietnam, the MSM's favorite point of comparison. Granted, everyone had hoped things would be better than they are by now; still, things aren't ALL bad, and Arthur Chrenkoff's latest installment of Good News from Iraq provides a welcome counterpoint to all the doom and gloom, and a good reminder of why we're there and what we're fight for... "
from Chrenkoff: "Recent polling data shows that fully two-thirds of Iraqis believe their country is headed in the right direction, Saboon said. While a poll in January showed only 11 percent of Sunni Muslims in Iraq shared that view, that percentage has since grown to 40, he said.
The Neo-Lib Party
The Neo-Libs have stolen the Party from the average Democrat. Does anyone remember the days of Democrat patriots? How does the union member with an American flag on his pickup feel about the millionaire name callers?
My Way News: "WASHINGTON (AP) - Howard Dean said Saturday that positive responses from key supporters have reinforced his determination to keep talking tough. Some congressional Democrats have suggested that the party chairman should tone down his rhetoric.
'People want us to fight,' Dean told the national party's executive committee. 'We are here to fight.'
Over the past week, Dean described Republicans as 'pretty much a white, Christian party' and said many in the GOP 'never made an honest living.'"
My Way News: "WASHINGTON (AP) - Howard Dean said Saturday that positive responses from key supporters have reinforced his determination to keep talking tough. Some congressional Democrats have suggested that the party chairman should tone down his rhetoric.
'People want us to fight,' Dean told the national party's executive committee. 'We are here to fight.'
Over the past week, Dean described Republicans as 'pretty much a white, Christian party' and said many in the GOP 'never made an honest living.'"
One Night Changes a Life, and Calif. Town
Sometimes, with all the "bad news all the time" TV networks, we miss some really nice stories. Bring a hankie to this site. Enjoy.
One Night Changes a Life, and Calif. Town - Yahoo! News: "CLOVIS, Calif. - The chant began late in the fourth quarter in the basketball gym at Clovis East High. The students started it first, clapping their hands in unison and pounding the bleachers with their feet. It didn't take long for the parents to pick it up, too. The noise grew until the whole gym seemed to shake. 'We want Ryno. We want Ryno.' "
One Night Changes a Life, and Calif. Town - Yahoo! News: "CLOVIS, Calif. - The chant began late in the fourth quarter in the basketball gym at Clovis East High. The students started it first, clapping their hands in unison and pounding the bleachers with their feet. It didn't take long for the parents to pick it up, too. The noise grew until the whole gym seemed to shake. 'We want Ryno. We want Ryno.' "
Saturday, June 11, 2005
Maybe you missed this in The Chronicle?
Oops. Must have slipped their mind. Bloggers have long memories. Can you imagine if Byrd had been a Republican how the MSM would play this fact?
Captain's Quarters: "That's what made the recent debate over the use of the filibuster such a tragic joke. Having Senator Robert Byrd, a former KKK recruiter, get up in the well of the Senate and lecture the GOP and the nation that ending the filibuster presented a danger to the Republic amounted to historical revisionism of the worst kind. ........... Thanks to racists like Byrd, that tradition of filibustering continues today. In fact, Byrd (who isn't even mentioned in this article) filibustered the original Civil Rights Act in 1964, eating up 14 hours of debate before his own caucus finally put an end to his embarrassing display. It is a practice that allows the entire democratic process of the United States to be held hostage by a minority, even if it now requires a larger minority than before the rule changes which eliminated the need for continuous speechmaking. "
Captain's Quarters: "That's what made the recent debate over the use of the filibuster such a tragic joke. Having Senator Robert Byrd, a former KKK recruiter, get up in the well of the Senate and lecture the GOP and the nation that ending the filibuster presented a danger to the Republic amounted to historical revisionism of the worst kind. ........... Thanks to racists like Byrd, that tradition of filibustering continues today. In fact, Byrd (who isn't even mentioned in this article) filibustered the original Civil Rights Act in 1964, eating up 14 hours of debate before his own caucus finally put an end to his embarrassing display. It is a practice that allows the entire democratic process of the United States to be held hostage by a minority, even if it now requires a larger minority than before the rule changes which eliminated the need for continuous speechmaking. "
Liberal ideas destroy hope
The best columnist in the country hits the nail on the head again.
June 11, 2005
Why Liberal Ideas Are Counterproductive for the Poor?
By Thomas Sowell
Sometimes it seems as if liberals have a genius for producing an unending stream of ideas that are counterproductive for the poor, whom they claim to be helping. Few of these notions are more counterproductive than the idea of 'menial work' or 'dead-end jobs.'
Think about it: Why do employers pay people to do 'menial' work? Because the work has to be done. What useful purpose is served by stigmatizing work that someone is going to have to do anyway?
Is emptying bed pans in a hospital menial work? What would happen if bed pans didn't get emptied? Let people stop emptying bed pans for a month and there would be bigger problems than if sociologists stopped working for a year."
June 11, 2005
Why Liberal Ideas Are Counterproductive for the Poor?
By Thomas Sowell
Sometimes it seems as if liberals have a genius for producing an unending stream of ideas that are counterproductive for the poor, whom they claim to be helping. Few of these notions are more counterproductive than the idea of 'menial work' or 'dead-end jobs.'
Think about it: Why do employers pay people to do 'menial' work? Because the work has to be done. What useful purpose is served by stigmatizing work that someone is going to have to do anyway?
Is emptying bed pans in a hospital menial work? What would happen if bed pans didn't get emptied? Let people stop emptying bed pans for a month and there would be bigger problems than if sociologists stopped working for a year."
Isn't this Koran abuse?
Wouldn't a bunch of Koran's get blown up and desecrated in this little protest? Not to mention 20 or so Koran carriers. Where is the outrage?
Suicide bomber kills 20 at anti-Taliban cleric's funeral / Levon Sevunts A suicide bomber blew himself up at the funeral of a senior anti-Taliban Muslim cleric yesterday, killing 20 persons and wounding at least 40 others. (World)
Suicide bomber kills 20 at anti-Taliban cleric's funeral / Levon Sevunts A suicide bomber blew himself up at the funeral of a senior anti-Taliban Muslim cleric yesterday, killing 20 persons and wounding at least 40 others. (World)
Gitmo abuse
More proof of the hypocrisy of the anti-American media and the Amnesty International crowd. Amazing to me is that there is far more REPORTED abuse in US jails (murder, suicide, beatings, rape, etc, etc...) than has even been alleged at Abu Ghraib and Gitmo and the MSM seems to be ....silent? And if we hint that prisoners might be sent to other countries the lefties have a fit. Maybe it's a bit more challenging to be a prisoner in, say, Turkey than Gitmo? Selective outrage breeds contempt. Instapundit provides the link.
Instapundit.com -: "June 09, 2005
MAX BOOT:
All the headlines about 'Abuse of the Koran at Gitmo' are absolutely accurate. Brig. Gen. Jay Hood's internal investigation has uncovered some shocking incidents. On at least six occasions, Korans were ripped up. They were urinated on three times, and attempts were made to flush them down the toilet at least three other times.
Why aren't millions of Muslims rioting in response to these defilements? Because the perpetrators were prisoners, not guards. As John Hinderaker notes on weeklystandard.com, the most serious desecrations of the Koran at the Guantanamo Bay detention facility were committed by the Muslim inmates themselves.
Read the whole thing, which is quite justifiably harsh on the news media and NGO hysteria surrounding this report."
Instapundit.com -: "June 09, 2005
MAX BOOT:
All the headlines about 'Abuse of the Koran at Gitmo' are absolutely accurate. Brig. Gen. Jay Hood's internal investigation has uncovered some shocking incidents. On at least six occasions, Korans were ripped up. They were urinated on three times, and attempts were made to flush them down the toilet at least three other times.
Why aren't millions of Muslims rioting in response to these defilements? Because the perpetrators were prisoners, not guards. As John Hinderaker notes on weeklystandard.com, the most serious desecrations of the Koran at the Guantanamo Bay detention facility were committed by the Muslim inmates themselves.
Read the whole thing, which is quite justifiably harsh on the news media and NGO hysteria surrounding this report."
"Free" medicalcare horror story
This same thing is happening in Canada. Don't believe those who offer something for nothing. Read the whole story for a glimpse into our medical future.
OpinionJournal - Extra: "There's No Place Like Home
What I learned from my wife's month in the British medical system.
...Suddenly we were in the hands of British Health Service, and after a battery of tests we were being pressured into officially admitting my wife to UCL. As we discovered later, emergency care is free for everyone in Britain; it's only when one is officially admitted to a hospital that a foreigner begins to pay. I didn't know that. But I did know that I was not about to admit my wife to a hospital that could not diagnose an obviously life-threatening affliction. And even after having given her an MRI, the doctors could not tell if she had a stroke.
OpinionJournal - Extra: "There's No Place Like Home
What I learned from my wife's month in the British medical system.
...Suddenly we were in the hands of British Health Service, and after a battery of tests we were being pressured into officially admitting my wife to UCL. As we discovered later, emergency care is free for everyone in Britain; it's only when one is officially admitted to a hospital that a foreigner begins to pay. I didn't know that. But I did know that I was not about to admit my wife to a hospital that could not diagnose an obviously life-threatening affliction. And even after having given her an MRI, the doctors could not tell if she had a stroke.
Hump day at Guantanamo
Maybe this will make Amnesty International happy. Next thing, they'll want half-days on Fridays.
The Borowitz Report .com: "BUSH CONSIDERS CLOSING GUANTANAMO ON WEDNESDAYS
President's Proposal Falls Short of Gitmo Opponents Demands
Hoping to appease those who have called in recent days for the U.S. to close the detention center at Guantanamo, Cuba, President Bush announced today that he was considering closing the facility on Wednesdays.
Mr. Bush made the proposal in remarks in the White House Rose Garden today, telling reporters, "Under my plan, there would zero tolerance for abuse of prisoners in Guantanamo, on Wednesdays at least. "
The Borowitz Report .com: "BUSH CONSIDERS CLOSING GUANTANAMO ON WEDNESDAYS
President's Proposal Falls Short of Gitmo Opponents Demands
Hoping to appease those who have called in recent days for the U.S. to close the detention center at Guantanamo, Cuba, President Bush announced today that he was considering closing the facility on Wednesdays.
Mr. Bush made the proposal in remarks in the White House Rose Garden today, telling reporters, "Under my plan, there would zero tolerance for abuse of prisoners in Guantanamo, on Wednesdays at least. "
Friday, June 10, 2005
BLACKFIVE: The Third Rule of War
This has never been written with more eloquence. Please remember and honor the memory of all our fallen soldiers and airmen. Very moving.
BLACKFIVE: The Third Rule of War:
"The Last Full Measure
By Col. Brett Wyrick USAF
"The first rule of war is that young men and women die. The second rule of war is that surgeons cannot change the first rule. "
BLACKFIVE: The Third Rule of War:
"The Last Full Measure
By Col. Brett Wyrick USAF
"The first rule of war is that young men and women die. The second rule of war is that surgeons cannot change the first rule. "
Where's the Wendy's "chilli-finger" gal when we need her?
I hope someone brought the dip.
HoustonChronicle.com - Potato-chip can sits where woman's ashes were:
"Synagogue sued over missing ashes"
Potato-chip can found in place of woman's remains in mausoleum
By ROMA KHANNA
Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle
Carlos Antonio Rios/Chronicle
The empty niche at left at Congregation Beth Israel's mausoleum once held the ashes of Vivian Shulman Lieberman. The niche of her husband, Seymour Lieberman, is at right.
When relatives of Vivian Shulman Lieberman went to visit her final resting place in a Houston mausoleum one year ago today, they discovered that the cedar chest containing her ashes was missing.
In its place, behind the locked, glass door of Lieberman's niche in Congregation Beth Israel's mausoleum, was a can of sour-cream-and-onion potato chips."
HoustonChronicle.com - Potato-chip can sits where woman's ashes were:
"Synagogue sued over missing ashes"
Potato-chip can found in place of woman's remains in mausoleum
By ROMA KHANNA
Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle
Carlos Antonio Rios/Chronicle
The empty niche at left at Congregation Beth Israel's mausoleum once held the ashes of Vivian Shulman Lieberman. The niche of her husband, Seymour Lieberman, is at right.
When relatives of Vivian Shulman Lieberman went to visit her final resting place in a Houston mausoleum one year ago today, they discovered that the cedar chest containing her ashes was missing.
In its place, behind the locked, glass door of Lieberman's niche in Congregation Beth Israel's mausoleum, was a can of sour-cream-and-onion potato chips."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)