April 18, 2013
Explosions rocked a fertilizer plant in West, Texas, Wednesday evening as firefighters were battling a fire, causing multiple injuries, authorities said.
Dani Moore, dispatcher with the Texas Department of Pubic Safety, said she did not know how many were injured or the extent of their injuries.
"The fertilizer plant was on fire. Firefighters were on the scene. There was an explosion ... followed by a second explosion,'' she said.
She said there were multiple damages to structures and vehicles. She said she had no information on the cause of the blasts or fire.
WFAA.com reported at least 10 structures were on fire, including a school which is next door to the plant. An emergency triage center was set up at a high school football field.
The TV station said on its website that a shock wave was felt in parts of North Texas.
The Waco Tribune reported injuries to several people including firefighters.
The fertilizer plant is about 20 miles north of Waco and just off Interstate 35.
KWTX.com reported one of the nearby buildings damaged was a nursing home, and state troopers transported some of the injured to hospitals in patrol cars.
It also said the explosion knocked out electrical power to part of the community.
Hillcrest Baptist Medical Center in Waco, was receiving some of the injured. Answering the phone at the hospital, Karen Jackson said she could provide no information on the number of injured or the extent.
source: you tube
Thursday, April 18, 2013
Feds arrest suspect in ricin-positive letters sent to Obama, senator
4.18.13
Federal agents on Wednesday arrested a suspect in the mailing of letters to President Barack Obama and a U.S. senator that initially tested positive for the poison ricin. FULL STORY>>
 |
| The ricin-laced letters sent to President Obama and Mississippi Sen. Roger Wicker were both postmarked April 8 and sent from Memphis, Tenn., signed "I am KC and I approve this message." A third letter went to Michigan Sen. Carl Levin. NBC's Andrea Mitchell reports. |
Federal agents on Wednesday arrested a suspect in the mailing of letters to President Barack Obama and a U.S. senator that initially tested positive for the poison ricin. FULL STORY>>
USDA starts new program to track farm animals
4.18.13
MILWAUKEE (AP) -- The federal government has launched a new livestock identification program to help agriculture officials to quickly track livestock in cases of disease.
FULL STORY>>
FULL STORY>>
Obama meets with Saudi foreign minister, was not on public schedule...
4.18.13
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama met with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal at the White House on Wednesday and discussed the conflict in Syria, a spokeswoman said.
The meeting was not on Obama's public schedule.
READ MORE>>
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama met with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal at the White House on Wednesday and discussed the conflict in Syria, a spokeswoman said.
The meeting was not on Obama's public schedule.
READ MORE>>
Gallup: Only 4% of Americans Think Gun Control is an Important Problem
4.18.13
Respondents answered in the following order:
Economy in general 24%
Unemployment/Jobs 18%
Dissatisfaction with Government 16%
Federal budget deficit/Federal debt 11%
Healthcare 6%
Ethical/Moral/Family decline 5%
Immigration/Illegal aliens 4%
Education 4%
Guns/Gun control 4%
Situation with North Korea 4%
Lack of Money 3%
Welfare 2%
Lack of respect for each other 2%
Poverty/Hunger/Homelessness 2%
Foreign aid/Focus overseas 2%
Taxes 2%
READ MORE>>
Respondents answered in the following order:
Economy in general 24%
Unemployment/Jobs 18%
Dissatisfaction with Government 16%
Federal budget deficit/Federal debt 11%
Healthcare 6%
Ethical/Moral/Family decline 5%
Immigration/Illegal aliens 4%
Education 4%
Guns/Gun control 4%
Situation with North Korea 4%
Lack of Money 3%
Welfare 2%
Lack of respect for each other 2%
Poverty/Hunger/Homelessness 2%
Foreign aid/Focus overseas 2%
Taxes 2%
READ MORE>>
Search For Explosion Victims Will Continue Through The Night In West
April 18, 2013
WEST (April 18, 2013)—Rescuers planned to launch another door-to-door search overnight in areas damaged by a massive fertilizer plant explosion in West that left about 170 injured and may have killed dozens.
West EMS Director Dr. George Smith said earlier Wednesday night as many as 60 or 70 people died in the blast, but Department of Public Safety spokesman D.L. Wilson said during a news conference late Wednesday night the number of dead is unknown.
“We do have confirmed fatalities,” Wilson said.
“It’s going to be a number.”
He said the blast caused “a tremendous amount of injuries,” and estimated the number hurt at well more than 100.
The blast ripped a 50-unit apartment building apart, leaving little more than a skeleton, Wilson said.
Reports earlier Wednesday night indicated that some residents of the building were trapped including two children, but additional information wasn’t immediately available.
A nearby nursing home was also damaged and the 133 residents were evacuated, he said.
Some were injured, but he didn’t have a count.
He compared the damage to the April 19, 1995 explosion that ripped a side off the Albert P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City.
A team of federal investigators is en route to West.
The U.S. Chemical Safety Board is deploying "a large investigation team" to investigate the blast, spokeswoman Hillary Cohen said.
In a statement issued early Thursday, Cohen said the board's Western regional office director, Don Holmstrom, would lead the team, which is scheduled to arrive at the scene Thursday afternoon.
Brian Mechell of West took a photograph of the fire before the explosion, which was forwarded to News 10 by Tara Gerik of West.
Gerik said the building that was on fire was called the Dry Barn and that it contained ammonium nitrate.
Anhydrous ammonia tanks are visible to the left of the building.
Fire continued to smolder at the plant early Thursday morning, but Wilson said toxic fumes and concerns about a second explosion made it impossible for firefighters to get close enough to douse the flames.
We’re worried about people right now, not property,” he said.
He estimated the number of homes damaged by the blast at more than 50 and said many more residents were displaced.
“Half of that town over there is totally evacuated,” he said, and it’s possible more evacuations may be necessary in the community of about 2,700 residents as winds shift to the north as a front pushes through overnight.
West Mayor Tommy Muska said at an earlier news conference that he didn’t yet know how many people were hurt or killed in the blast explosion, but later said four or five firefighters are unaccounted for.
He said there was a fire at the plant before the explosion.
Emergency crews from throughout Central Texas responded just before 8 p.m. Wednesday after the explosion, which was reported at around 7:50 p.m. in a frantic radio call from the scene of the fire at West Fertilizer at 1471 Jerry Mashek Dr. just off Interstate 35.
The resulting fire spread to the Middle School and to a nearby nursing home.
The blast was felt throughout the city and as far away as Hillsboro, Whitney and Blum.
Most of the injuries resulted from debris being thrown from the blast, glass, doors and other shrapnel, authorities said.
Everyone within one mile of the fire was ordered to evacuate.
Numerous injuries were reported and multiple ambulances were requested.
About 100 people had been treated at Hillcrest Baptist Medical Center by 1 a.m. Thursday and 14 had been admitted.
Scott & White said at just before 1 a.m. Thursday it has received five patients, three at Scott & White Memorial Hospital, and two at McLane Children’s Hospital.
Two of the patients were in critical condition, the hospital said, but information about the conditions of the other three wasn’t available.
“The hospital remains open and operating while the Emergency Department staff make preparations to evaluate and treat arriving victims. As the Level 1 trauma center for the region, Scott & White Hospital – Temple is communicating and coordinating with emergency responders out of Waco to provide care for victims,” a spokesman said.
Providence Health Center in Waco had treated 62 patients by 1 a.m. Thursday and three more were in triage.
Twelve were admitted, one in critical condition.
“Most patients have moderate injuries, including abrasions, cuts, bruises, broken bones and respiratory distress. We have not had any confirmed casualties,” the hospital said.
McLennan County Sheriff Parnell McNamara said the area looked like a war zone after the blast, which had a magnitude of 2.1, the U.S. Geological Survey said.
The bomb that destroyed the Murrah Building in 1995 produced a blast with 3.0-magnitude.
“The magnitude measures only the ground motion, not the air wave, so is substantially less than the true size of the event,” the USGS said on its website.
Department of Public Safety troopers transported some victims to hospitals in patrol cars, said Gayle Scarbrough at the DPS Communications Center in Waco.
A triage area was first established at the intersection of Haven and North Reagan Streets, but it was later moved to Marable Street and Meadow Drive because of the potentially toxic smoke from the fire.
As many as a dozen helicopters were sent to the area and were landing at West High School stadium and at least two-dozen ambulances were waiting there to transport victims to hospitals.
The staging area was later moved because of the threat of an explosion from a second burning tank.
The explosion knocked out power to a large area of the community.
Oncor’s online outage site showed more than a thousand customers without power.
Oncor Outage Website
Interstate 35 remained open, but a number of emergency vehicles were on the highway headed to West and from West to hospitals.
The Texas Department of Transportation advised motorists to avoid the area.
“I-35 is likely to become clogged as the emergency vehicles come and go, and as the inevitable rubbernecking begins in passing traffic,” spokeswoman Jodi Whatley said.
“Please try to use alternate routes and leave I-35 as open as possible as the ambulances try to get the injured to hospitals and then come back to help more victims. Because of the force of the explosion, many businesses, homes, and possibly a nursing home and school are destroyed or damaged. Power and phone service is out in much of the town,” she said.
A woman who was passing through West on Interstate 35 at the time of the explosion said she and her boyfriend saw a fireball 100-feet wide shoot into the air.
A man who lives 15 miles northwest of Hillsboro felt the concussion from the explosion.
Army Sgt. Rocky J. Havens said in an e-mail he felt the shock in Italy, north of Hillsboro.
Tonya Harris of Groesbeck said in an e-mail she heard the explosion.
“My husband and l were cleaning up the kitchen after supper, and heard what we thought was someone running into our house. It shook our windows and doors. We immediately ran outside looking for the worst,” she said.
Crystal Dahlman of Blum said in an e-mail, “The explosion shook and rumbled my house worse than thunder.”
Brad Smith of Waxahachie said he and his wife heard what sounded like a thunderclap.
Lydia Zimmerman of Bynum was working in the garden with her husband and daughter at the time of the explosion.
“It sounded like three bombs going off very close to us,” she said.
Gulf war veteran Paul L. Manigrasso felt the blast in Waxahachie.
“Based on my naval experience...we knew immediately what it was, but cannot believe it occurred 40 miles away,” he said.
Chris Moore was at a Wednesday night prayer service in Navarro Mills about 35 miles from West.
He said the blast rocked the church.
“We are praying for our neighbors in West right now,” he said.
Waco lawyer Walter Skip Reaves lives about 3/4 mile from the fertilizer plant.
He said the blast sounded like a bomb.
All of the windows and doors in his house were blown out, as were the windows of the rest of the homes in his neighborhood, he said.
Gary and Donna Redding felt the blast in their home in Combine just outside of Seagoville.
“We heard what sounded like thunder that rattled our storm doors and shook the house slightly for a few seconds,” they said in an e-mail.
Texas Country music legend Willie Nelson sent out prayers via Twitter after the explosion in the town near where he grew up.
"West has been in my backyard all my life," Nelson tweeted early Thursday.
"My heart is praying for the community that we call home."
Nelson was born and reared in Abbott, which is about five miles north of West.
Freshman State Rep. Kyle Kacal, R-Bryan, issued a statement expressing sympathy to victims of the blast.
"While little is still known at this time regarding details of this horrific incident, we must continue to keep all those impacted in our thoughts and prayers,” he said.
“As we continue to gather details on this tragic event, I have full confidence in our first responders and stand ready to assist in any way possible," he said.
To check on injured residents admitted to Hillcrest Baptist Medical Center call (254) 202-1100
For family inquiries about patients at Scott & White Hospital call (888) 394-4947
For family inquiries about patients at Providence Health Center (254) 761-7200
West ISD Superintendent Marty Crawford says classes will not be held Thursday. Crawford said West Intermediate School was destroyed. The high school and the middle school buildings were also damaged and structural integrity will need to be checked. A meeting will be held later Thursday to make plans for housing students for the remainder of the school year.
Central Texas Urgent Care clinics in Hewitt and Lacy Lakeview will remain open all night to treat those with minor injuries
The Extraco Events Center will be setting up to take donations starting tomorrow at 9:00 am. For information call 254-776-1660
Carter Blood Care Center will accept donations beginning at 9 a.m. Thursday in Waco
Carter BloodCare will be holding a blood drive at Providence Thursday between 11 am and 5 p.m.
The Scott & White Blood Donation center is open until 2:30 a.m. Thursday and will reopen at 8 a.m.
HEB Pharmacy in the Woodway area is staying open all night to help accommodate West residents who may be injured and need prescriptions filled
First Baptist Church of Lott has room for anyone needing a place to stay. Call (254) 829-2321
American Red Cross crews from across Texas were sent to the site of an explosion at a fertilizer plant near Waco where multiple injuries have been reported. Red Cross spokeswoman Anita Foster said her group is working with emergency management officials in the town of West to find a safe shelter for residents displaced from their homes.
The Aquilla ISD opened facilities for those seeking refuge. Please report to the gym entrance.
Blair's Cove Apartments in Waco offering housing to any West residents affected by the explosion at 2425 S. 21st St. (254) 447-0810
Latham Springs Baptist Camp is open to displaced residents at 134 Private Road 223 in Aquilla
The Abbott gym is open to displaced residents
Valley mills Nursing Home has rooms available for nursing home residents if placement is needed for any of the West nursing home residents. Call 254-932-6288.
First Baptist Church of Gholson is open for anyone who needs a place to stay
Gholson ISD open for those seeking shelter
Brazos Meadows Baptist Church at 625 S. Hewitt Dr., adjacent to Castleman Creek Elementary will be open for anyone who needs a place to stay
American Legion Post 121 in Elm Mott is open for displaced residents
Sykora Family Ford in West has opened for residents who need a safe place to rest
Town Hall Estates in Hillsboro was taking in displaced residents
The Home Depot store in Bellmead will be open all night for those who need plywood, generators, etc.
Both Peas & Tots and Smarty Pants consignment stores in Waco are accepting clothing donations in all sizes for those in West
TSTC Student Recreation Center in Waco is open to take in those displaced by the explosion in West
Antioch Community Church at 501 North 20th Street in Waco is open to displaced residents
Alliance Auto Auction between Elm Mott and West on I-35 is open to anyone needing a place to stay
Penelope School is open for displaced residents at 309 Avenue D
Central United Methodist Church off Bagby Avenue near Hillcrest Baptist Medical Center is open overnight
Axtell High School will be taking any kind of donations at the school tomorrow! Please donate anything! The PALS organization is taking all donations and will be accepting tomorrow and Friday during school
Texas Gov. Rick Perry said state resources have been mobilized to help local authorities after the explosion. The governor released a statement late Wednesday night, saying state officials are "monitoring developments and gathering information as details continue to emerge about this incident."
Source: KWTX
 |
| SEE MORE PHOTOS AT ORIGINAL SITE>> |
WEST (April 18, 2013)—Rescuers planned to launch another door-to-door search overnight in areas damaged by a massive fertilizer plant explosion in West that left about 170 injured and may have killed dozens.
West EMS Director Dr. George Smith said earlier Wednesday night as many as 60 or 70 people died in the blast, but Department of Public Safety spokesman D.L. Wilson said during a news conference late Wednesday night the number of dead is unknown.
“We do have confirmed fatalities,” Wilson said.
“It’s going to be a number.”
He said the blast caused “a tremendous amount of injuries,” and estimated the number hurt at well more than 100.
The blast ripped a 50-unit apartment building apart, leaving little more than a skeleton, Wilson said.
Reports earlier Wednesday night indicated that some residents of the building were trapped including two children, but additional information wasn’t immediately available.
A nearby nursing home was also damaged and the 133 residents were evacuated, he said.
Some were injured, but he didn’t have a count.
He compared the damage to the April 19, 1995 explosion that ripped a side off the Albert P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City.
A team of federal investigators is en route to West.
The U.S. Chemical Safety Board is deploying "a large investigation team" to investigate the blast, spokeswoman Hillary Cohen said.
In a statement issued early Thursday, Cohen said the board's Western regional office director, Don Holmstrom, would lead the team, which is scheduled to arrive at the scene Thursday afternoon.
Gerik said the building that was on fire was called the Dry Barn and that it contained ammonium nitrate.
Anhydrous ammonia tanks are visible to the left of the building.
Fire continued to smolder at the plant early Thursday morning, but Wilson said toxic fumes and concerns about a second explosion made it impossible for firefighters to get close enough to douse the flames.
We’re worried about people right now, not property,” he said.
He estimated the number of homes damaged by the blast at more than 50 and said many more residents were displaced.
“Half of that town over there is totally evacuated,” he said, and it’s possible more evacuations may be necessary in the community of about 2,700 residents as winds shift to the north as a front pushes through overnight.
West Mayor Tommy Muska said at an earlier news conference that he didn’t yet know how many people were hurt or killed in the blast explosion, but later said four or five firefighters are unaccounted for.
He said there was a fire at the plant before the explosion.
Emergency crews from throughout Central Texas responded just before 8 p.m. Wednesday after the explosion, which was reported at around 7:50 p.m. in a frantic radio call from the scene of the fire at West Fertilizer at 1471 Jerry Mashek Dr. just off Interstate 35.
The resulting fire spread to the Middle School and to a nearby nursing home.
The blast was felt throughout the city and as far away as Hillsboro, Whitney and Blum.
Most of the injuries resulted from debris being thrown from the blast, glass, doors and other shrapnel, authorities said.
Everyone within one mile of the fire was ordered to evacuate.
Numerous injuries were reported and multiple ambulances were requested.
About 100 people had been treated at Hillcrest Baptist Medical Center by 1 a.m. Thursday and 14 had been admitted.
Scott & White said at just before 1 a.m. Thursday it has received five patients, three at Scott & White Memorial Hospital, and two at McLane Children’s Hospital.
Two of the patients were in critical condition, the hospital said, but information about the conditions of the other three wasn’t available.
“The hospital remains open and operating while the Emergency Department staff make preparations to evaluate and treat arriving victims. As the Level 1 trauma center for the region, Scott & White Hospital – Temple is communicating and coordinating with emergency responders out of Waco to provide care for victims,” a spokesman said.
Providence Health Center in Waco had treated 62 patients by 1 a.m. Thursday and three more were in triage.
Twelve were admitted, one in critical condition.
“Most patients have moderate injuries, including abrasions, cuts, bruises, broken bones and respiratory distress. We have not had any confirmed casualties,” the hospital said.
McLennan County Sheriff Parnell McNamara said the area looked like a war zone after the blast, which had a magnitude of 2.1, the U.S. Geological Survey said.
The bomb that destroyed the Murrah Building in 1995 produced a blast with 3.0-magnitude.
“The magnitude measures only the ground motion, not the air wave, so is substantially less than the true size of the event,” the USGS said on its website.
Department of Public Safety troopers transported some victims to hospitals in patrol cars, said Gayle Scarbrough at the DPS Communications Center in Waco.
A triage area was first established at the intersection of Haven and North Reagan Streets, but it was later moved to Marable Street and Meadow Drive because of the potentially toxic smoke from the fire.
As many as a dozen helicopters were sent to the area and were landing at West High School stadium and at least two-dozen ambulances were waiting there to transport victims to hospitals.
The staging area was later moved because of the threat of an explosion from a second burning tank.
The explosion knocked out power to a large area of the community.
Oncor’s online outage site showed more than a thousand customers without power.
Oncor Outage Website
Interstate 35 remained open, but a number of emergency vehicles were on the highway headed to West and from West to hospitals.
The Texas Department of Transportation advised motorists to avoid the area.
“I-35 is likely to become clogged as the emergency vehicles come and go, and as the inevitable rubbernecking begins in passing traffic,” spokeswoman Jodi Whatley said.
“Please try to use alternate routes and leave I-35 as open as possible as the ambulances try to get the injured to hospitals and then come back to help more victims. Because of the force of the explosion, many businesses, homes, and possibly a nursing home and school are destroyed or damaged. Power and phone service is out in much of the town,” she said.
A woman who was passing through West on Interstate 35 at the time of the explosion said she and her boyfriend saw a fireball 100-feet wide shoot into the air.
A man who lives 15 miles northwest of Hillsboro felt the concussion from the explosion.
Army Sgt. Rocky J. Havens said in an e-mail he felt the shock in Italy, north of Hillsboro.
Tonya Harris of Groesbeck said in an e-mail she heard the explosion.
“My husband and l were cleaning up the kitchen after supper, and heard what we thought was someone running into our house. It shook our windows and doors. We immediately ran outside looking for the worst,” she said.
Crystal Dahlman of Blum said in an e-mail, “The explosion shook and rumbled my house worse than thunder.”
Brad Smith of Waxahachie said he and his wife heard what sounded like a thunderclap.
Lydia Zimmerman of Bynum was working in the garden with her husband and daughter at the time of the explosion.
“It sounded like three bombs going off very close to us,” she said.
Gulf war veteran Paul L. Manigrasso felt the blast in Waxahachie.
“Based on my naval experience...we knew immediately what it was, but cannot believe it occurred 40 miles away,” he said.
Chris Moore was at a Wednesday night prayer service in Navarro Mills about 35 miles from West.
He said the blast rocked the church.
“We are praying for our neighbors in West right now,” he said.
Waco lawyer Walter Skip Reaves lives about 3/4 mile from the fertilizer plant.
He said the blast sounded like a bomb.
All of the windows and doors in his house were blown out, as were the windows of the rest of the homes in his neighborhood, he said.
Gary and Donna Redding felt the blast in their home in Combine just outside of Seagoville.
“We heard what sounded like thunder that rattled our storm doors and shook the house slightly for a few seconds,” they said in an e-mail.
Texas Country music legend Willie Nelson sent out prayers via Twitter after the explosion in the town near where he grew up.
"West has been in my backyard all my life," Nelson tweeted early Thursday.
"My heart is praying for the community that we call home."
Nelson was born and reared in Abbott, which is about five miles north of West.
Freshman State Rep. Kyle Kacal, R-Bryan, issued a statement expressing sympathy to victims of the blast.
"While little is still known at this time regarding details of this horrific incident, we must continue to keep all those impacted in our thoughts and prayers,” he said.
“As we continue to gather details on this tragic event, I have full confidence in our first responders and stand ready to assist in any way possible," he said.
To check on injured residents admitted to Hillcrest Baptist Medical Center call (254) 202-1100
For family inquiries about patients at Scott & White Hospital call (888) 394-4947
For family inquiries about patients at Providence Health Center (254) 761-7200
West ISD Superintendent Marty Crawford says classes will not be held Thursday. Crawford said West Intermediate School was destroyed. The high school and the middle school buildings were also damaged and structural integrity will need to be checked. A meeting will be held later Thursday to make plans for housing students for the remainder of the school year.
Central Texas Urgent Care clinics in Hewitt and Lacy Lakeview will remain open all night to treat those with minor injuries
The Extraco Events Center will be setting up to take donations starting tomorrow at 9:00 am. For information call 254-776-1660
Carter Blood Care Center will accept donations beginning at 9 a.m. Thursday in Waco
Carter BloodCare will be holding a blood drive at Providence Thursday between 11 am and 5 p.m.
The Scott & White Blood Donation center is open until 2:30 a.m. Thursday and will reopen at 8 a.m.
HEB Pharmacy in the Woodway area is staying open all night to help accommodate West residents who may be injured and need prescriptions filled
First Baptist Church of Lott has room for anyone needing a place to stay. Call (254) 829-2321
American Red Cross crews from across Texas were sent to the site of an explosion at a fertilizer plant near Waco where multiple injuries have been reported. Red Cross spokeswoman Anita Foster said her group is working with emergency management officials in the town of West to find a safe shelter for residents displaced from their homes.
The Aquilla ISD opened facilities for those seeking refuge. Please report to the gym entrance.
Blair's Cove Apartments in Waco offering housing to any West residents affected by the explosion at 2425 S. 21st St. (254) 447-0810
Latham Springs Baptist Camp is open to displaced residents at 134 Private Road 223 in Aquilla
The Abbott gym is open to displaced residents
Valley mills Nursing Home has rooms available for nursing home residents if placement is needed for any of the West nursing home residents. Call 254-932-6288.
First Baptist Church of Gholson is open for anyone who needs a place to stay
Gholson ISD open for those seeking shelter
Brazos Meadows Baptist Church at 625 S. Hewitt Dr., adjacent to Castleman Creek Elementary will be open for anyone who needs a place to stay
American Legion Post 121 in Elm Mott is open for displaced residents
Sykora Family Ford in West has opened for residents who need a safe place to rest
Town Hall Estates in Hillsboro was taking in displaced residents
The Home Depot store in Bellmead will be open all night for those who need plywood, generators, etc.
Both Peas & Tots and Smarty Pants consignment stores in Waco are accepting clothing donations in all sizes for those in West
TSTC Student Recreation Center in Waco is open to take in those displaced by the explosion in West
Antioch Community Church at 501 North 20th Street in Waco is open to displaced residents
Alliance Auto Auction between Elm Mott and West on I-35 is open to anyone needing a place to stay
Penelope School is open for displaced residents at 309 Avenue D
Central United Methodist Church off Bagby Avenue near Hillcrest Baptist Medical Center is open overnight
Axtell High School will be taking any kind of donations at the school tomorrow! Please donate anything! The PALS organization is taking all donations and will be accepting tomorrow and Friday during school
Texas Gov. Rick Perry said state resources have been mobilized to help local authorities after the explosion. The governor released a statement late Wednesday night, saying state officials are "monitoring developments and gathering information as details continue to emerge about this incident."
Source: KWTX
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
Be Aware: Progressives Stealing Local Elections
4.17.13
Update: 4/14/13: Texas might be up for grabs as soon as the 2016 presidential elections because of demographic shifts. Big Democratic donors from across the country have their sights set on capturing Texas for Hillary Clinton. The plan is to mobilize Latinos, Blacks and like-minded Anglos to get out the vote. Republicans have consistently won elections but there are large numbers of minority voters who stay home. Google “Financial times” and “Democratic Donors Set Sights on Texas.” MORE
Brainless Wonder: Ben Smith Blames 'The Right' for Conditions of Gosnell Abortion Clinic
4.17.13
This is "BenSmithing" on steroids -- in which the BuzzFeed Politics' editor-in-chief is so eager to spin the capital murder trial of an abortion doctor into a liability for the right that he launches into a bizarre non-sequitur to connect the horrors that occurred in Dr. Kermit Gosnell's Pennsylvania abortion clinic to pro-life protesters and -- get this -- legislation occurring…in other states.
FULL STORY>>
FULL STORY>>
CAUGHT! Student turns stupid ass lib professor in
4.17.13
Last week, a USC student released 15 minutes of excerpts from videos he had made of his political science professor, Darry Sragow.
Here is some of what the USC professor said to his students:
"California Republicans [are] really stupid and racist."
" ... Republicans are 82 percent white. Losers."
"The Republican Party in California ... is the last vestige of angry old white people. "
"The Republicans are trying to prevent people of color and people of lower income from voting by requiring voter ID."
"We discovered, and this is generally true, the least flexible voter in America, the person who's less likely to change their mind about anything is an old white guy. Old white guys are stubborn sons of bitches."
"There are tens of thousands of people who are now dead because George Bush, even though he got fewer votes, became the president of the United States. That's a fact. ... I think the election got stolen. That's what I think. ... [the Republicans] stole the election. And this happens all the time."
"Probably the biggest vulnerability that Romney has ... [is] that the guy doesn't understand normal human beings."
"All campaigns have a message it communicates to the voters:
[The Democratic message is] "Vote for Obama because he's gonna create jobs and keep the peace and protect social security."
[The Republican message is] "Vote for Romney because Obama is all f----ed up ... "
"The Republican Party is increasingly the last refuge of old, angry white people who don't like what's going on in this country."
Some points regarding Sragow's statements:
1. None had anything to do with teaching.
2. Each one is left-wing propaganda, examples of the widespread attempts at our universities to indoctrinate rather educate.
3. Some are not merely indoctrination, they are also false. For example, blacks are considerably less likely than whites "to change their mind about anything" political. Since 1964, the black Democrat vote has been consistently over 80 percent.
4. Though he is teaching at a university, Sragow has no compunction about cursing while "teaching." Cursing in public is characteristic of leftism. I provide many examples and explain why in my book "Still the Best Hope."
5. Substitute "old black" for "old white" and Sragow would have been suspended, if not fired. Substitute "old white women" for "old white men" and Sragow would have been suspended, if not fired.
6. According to his fellow liberal, Tom Brokaw, "old white guys" are "The Greatest Generation." Which is it?
What was USC's official response?
As reported in the campus newspaper, Daily Trojan: "The university responded Friday with a statement affirming faculty members' right to express their views."
And in the words of USC Provost Elizabeth Garrett: "The freedom to take unpopular positions and the freedom to express those positions publicly are at the foundation of what it means to be a faculty member of a university."
For the record, in 2009 USC Vice President of Student Affairs, Michael Jackson, published "an open letter to the USC community" in the Daily Trojan, attacking the College Republicans for inviting conservative activist David Horowitz to campus. But USC in no way condemned Sragow.
Furthermore, Garrett was wrong about universities and dishonest about USC. She was wrong about "what it means to be a faculty member of a university." It is not about taking "unpopular positions;" it is about teaching truth to the best of the professor's ability. And attacks on Republicans are hardly "unpopular positions" at USC, or at virtually any other American university. On the contrary, they are the dominant positions there.
For Provost Garrett's sake, therefore, here are some unpopular positions at USC:
Marriage should remain defined as the union of a man and a woman.
The human fetus should have at least as much right to life as, let us say, a dog.
America is the greatest force for good in the world.
Fighting communism in Vietnam was a morally noble venture.
The greatest problem in black American life is not racism or poverty but the absence of fathers.
The most effective -- often the only -- way to stop great evil is through war.
More men than women are more willing to work more hours at a job.
More women are likely to find happiness in a successful marriage and family than in a successful career.
At this moment in history, the world has more to fear from fundamentalist Muslims than from fundamentalist Christians, Jews, Hindus or Buddhists.
Provost Garrett might want to inquire as to how many USC professors subscribe to, let alone, advocate in class, any of those positions.
At the Daily Trojan website, one commenter after another articulated what may be the only solution to USC and other universities having become left-wing seminaries:
Scott: "I am paying $65,000 per year for my son to be fed this hateful nonsense? The fact that the administration is not mortified by these statements is telling. Shame on USC."
Mike: "Lost a lot of respect for my alma mater today. They won't get another dollar from me."
KJM: "I am alum and hereby withholding any further support of my alma mater."
Non-leftists who give money to an American university are usually funding the erosion of that university as well as the erosion of their own values.
source
Last week, a USC student released 15 minutes of excerpts from videos he had made of his political science professor, Darry Sragow.
Here is some of what the USC professor said to his students:
"California Republicans [are] really stupid and racist."
" ... Republicans are 82 percent white. Losers."
"The Republican Party in California ... is the last vestige of angry old white people. "
"The Republicans are trying to prevent people of color and people of lower income from voting by requiring voter ID."
"We discovered, and this is generally true, the least flexible voter in America, the person who's less likely to change their mind about anything is an old white guy. Old white guys are stubborn sons of bitches."
"There are tens of thousands of people who are now dead because George Bush, even though he got fewer votes, became the president of the United States. That's a fact. ... I think the election got stolen. That's what I think. ... [the Republicans] stole the election. And this happens all the time."
"Probably the biggest vulnerability that Romney has ... [is] that the guy doesn't understand normal human beings."
"All campaigns have a message it communicates to the voters:
[The Democratic message is] "Vote for Obama because he's gonna create jobs and keep the peace and protect social security."
[The Republican message is] "Vote for Romney because Obama is all f----ed up ... "
"The Republican Party is increasingly the last refuge of old, angry white people who don't like what's going on in this country."
Some points regarding Sragow's statements:
1. None had anything to do with teaching.
2. Each one is left-wing propaganda, examples of the widespread attempts at our universities to indoctrinate rather educate.
3. Some are not merely indoctrination, they are also false. For example, blacks are considerably less likely than whites "to change their mind about anything" political. Since 1964, the black Democrat vote has been consistently over 80 percent.
4. Though he is teaching at a university, Sragow has no compunction about cursing while "teaching." Cursing in public is characteristic of leftism. I provide many examples and explain why in my book "Still the Best Hope."
5. Substitute "old black" for "old white" and Sragow would have been suspended, if not fired. Substitute "old white women" for "old white men" and Sragow would have been suspended, if not fired.
6. According to his fellow liberal, Tom Brokaw, "old white guys" are "The Greatest Generation." Which is it?
What was USC's official response?
As reported in the campus newspaper, Daily Trojan: "The university responded Friday with a statement affirming faculty members' right to express their views."
And in the words of USC Provost Elizabeth Garrett: "The freedom to take unpopular positions and the freedom to express those positions publicly are at the foundation of what it means to be a faculty member of a university."
For the record, in 2009 USC Vice President of Student Affairs, Michael Jackson, published "an open letter to the USC community" in the Daily Trojan, attacking the College Republicans for inviting conservative activist David Horowitz to campus. But USC in no way condemned Sragow.
Furthermore, Garrett was wrong about universities and dishonest about USC. She was wrong about "what it means to be a faculty member of a university." It is not about taking "unpopular positions;" it is about teaching truth to the best of the professor's ability. And attacks on Republicans are hardly "unpopular positions" at USC, or at virtually any other American university. On the contrary, they are the dominant positions there.
For Provost Garrett's sake, therefore, here are some unpopular positions at USC:
Marriage should remain defined as the union of a man and a woman.
The human fetus should have at least as much right to life as, let us say, a dog.
America is the greatest force for good in the world.
Fighting communism in Vietnam was a morally noble venture.
The greatest problem in black American life is not racism or poverty but the absence of fathers.
The most effective -- often the only -- way to stop great evil is through war.
More men than women are more willing to work more hours at a job.
More women are likely to find happiness in a successful marriage and family than in a successful career.
At this moment in history, the world has more to fear from fundamentalist Muslims than from fundamentalist Christians, Jews, Hindus or Buddhists.
Provost Garrett might want to inquire as to how many USC professors subscribe to, let alone, advocate in class, any of those positions.
At the Daily Trojan website, one commenter after another articulated what may be the only solution to USC and other universities having become left-wing seminaries:
Scott: "I am paying $65,000 per year for my son to be fed this hateful nonsense? The fact that the administration is not mortified by these statements is telling. Shame on USC."
Mike: "Lost a lot of respect for my alma mater today. They won't get another dollar from me."
KJM: "I am alum and hereby withholding any further support of my alma mater."
Non-leftists who give money to an American university are usually funding the erosion of that university as well as the erosion of their own values.
source
Harry Reid Calls Legislation "Anti-Gun"
4.17.13
In an apparent slip of the tongue, Harry Reid this morning referred to the gun-control bill he brought to the Senate floor as “anti-gun legislation.”
REID: On the anti-gun legislation in the Senate, we're making good progress in the effort to schedule a series of votes on Amendments to the anti-gun violence legislation before the Senate.
WATCH THE VIDEO>>
In an apparent slip of the tongue, Harry Reid this morning referred to the gun-control bill he brought to the Senate floor as “anti-gun legislation.”
REID: On the anti-gun legislation in the Senate, we're making good progress in the effort to schedule a series of votes on Amendments to the anti-gun violence legislation before the Senate.
WATCH THE VIDEO>>
Pew: Opinion of U.S. Government Hits Record Low
4.17.13
Americans' opinion of the federal government has fallen to a record low even as they continue to view local and state governments favorably, according to Pew Research Center survey released on Monday.
Just 28 percent of Americans rate the government in Washington favorably, the lowest percentage ever in a Pew survey and down 5 percentage points from a year ago, Pew said in a statement.
FULL STORY>>
Americans' opinion of the federal government has fallen to a record low even as they continue to view local and state governments favorably, according to Pew Research Center survey released on Monday.
Just 28 percent of Americans rate the government in Washington favorably, the lowest percentage ever in a Pew survey and down 5 percentage points from a year ago, Pew said in a statement.
FULL STORY>>
From Education to Indoctrination
4.16.13
The Progressive left have played the long game to power, and they are entering the final phase of taking control: The indoctrination of America’s children. They are confident enough such that they can be open and honest about believing that your children really belong to them, for the state to indoctrinate and mold.
Read More..
The Progressive left have played the long game to power, and they are entering the final phase of taking control: The indoctrination of America’s children. They are confident enough such that they can be open and honest about believing that your children really belong to them, for the state to indoctrinate and mold.
Read More..
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Get Rich or Deny Trying: How to make millions off Obama
April 16, 2013
Welcome to the buckraking phase of the Obama era. If the campaign was about hope, and the early presidency was about change, increasingly the administration has settled into a kind of normalcy in which it accommodates itself to Washington far more than Washington accommodates itself to Obama. That’s not necessarily a bad thing when the result is a bipartisan schmooze-fest at the Jefferson Hotel. But when it comes to the D.C. custom of trading a White House security clearance for a private-sector sinecure, there’s a lot to be said for not going native so easily.
Continue reading...
Welcome to the buckraking phase of the Obama era. If the campaign was about hope, and the early presidency was about change, increasingly the administration has settled into a kind of normalcy in which it accommodates itself to Washington far more than Washington accommodates itself to Obama. That’s not necessarily a bad thing when the result is a bipartisan schmooze-fest at the Jefferson Hotel. But when it comes to the D.C. custom of trading a White House security clearance for a private-sector sinecure, there’s a lot to be said for not going native so easily.
Continue reading...
White House snub to Thatcher: Obama won't send envoy to funeral - and leaves it to her old allies from the Reagan era
April 16, 2013
President Obama made decision not to send a member of his administration before yesterday's bombings in Boston
Instead, Reagan's former Secretary of State George Shultz, a key ally of Baroness Thatcher, will attend
Leaders from all over the world will be in attendance at the large-scale commemoration on Wednesday
Friends and allies of Baroness Thatcher expressed 'surprise and disappointment' last night as it emerged President Obama is not planning to send any serving member of his administration to her funeral.
Whitehall sources have revealed that the US delegation at tomorrow's service in St Paul's Cathedral will be led by two Reagan era secretaries of state: James Baker and George Shultz.
Though President Obama himself had not been expected to attend, there had been speculation that he would be represented either by Vice President Joe Biden or wife Michelle. However, the Obama administration had said it would not be attending Thatcher's funeral before the Boston bombings
FULL STORY>>
President Obama made decision not to send a member of his administration before yesterday's bombings in Boston
Instead, Reagan's former Secretary of State George Shultz, a key ally of Baroness Thatcher, will attend
Leaders from all over the world will be in attendance at the large-scale commemoration on Wednesday
Friends and allies of Baroness Thatcher expressed 'surprise and disappointment' last night as it emerged President Obama is not planning to send any serving member of his administration to her funeral.
Whitehall sources have revealed that the US delegation at tomorrow's service in St Paul's Cathedral will be led by two Reagan era secretaries of state: James Baker and George Shultz.
Though President Obama himself had not been expected to attend, there had been speculation that he would be represented either by Vice President Joe Biden or wife Michelle. However, the Obama administration had said it would not be attending Thatcher's funeral before the Boston bombings
FULL STORY>>
14 Theories for Why Kermit Gosnell's Case Didn't Get More Media Attention
April 16, 2013
Every one of them amounts to someone saying, "This is how I think American journalism works."
The trial of Dr. Kermit Gosnell, the abortionist charged with killing babies and neglecting women in his care, is now national news. There's no bigger story on the web. Anderson Cooper covered it thoroughly Friday on CNN. The Washington Post's executive editor pledged to send a reporter to file dispatches from the Philadelphia courtroom. My contribution, "Why Dr. Kermit Gosnell's Trial Should Be a Front-Page Story," distilled the Philadelphia grand jury report and argued that those horrific, detailed allegations are thoroughly newsworthy by any reasonable standard. That premise is now conventional wisdom. The trial is likely to remain national news.
My article didn't speculate about why the story didn't play bigger in the national media prior to late last week. I didn't want that debate to overshadow Gosnell's actions or the failure to stop him.
But the debate about coverage is important and fascinating.
FULL STORY>>
Every one of them amounts to someone saying, "This is how I think American journalism works."
 |
| "Kermit's Lounge" |
My article didn't speculate about why the story didn't play bigger in the national media prior to late last week. I didn't want that debate to overshadow Gosnell's actions or the failure to stop him.
But the debate about coverage is important and fascinating.
FULL STORY>>
Bubble Boy Update: The Obama Subprime Bubble
April 16, 2013
Subprime Scandal: The administration is fueling another housing bubble by pushing lenders to finance homes for people who can't afford them. Pressure is coming from all corners of government.
President Obama is worried about a plunge in new-home buying among minority borrowers with subprime credit scores. So he's using the Federal Housing Administration, for starters, to help finance failure.
In a reckless gambit, FHA is asking lenders to relax lending standards, while assuring them it will back home loans down to a 580 FICO score with a minimal down payment and high debt-to-income ratio.
"The obligation that I have is to ensure lenders using the FHA program are lending to as full a spectrum of the credit box as possible," FHA Commissioner Carol Galante recently said.
FHA's chief urging banks to underwrite subprime loans conjures up bad memories of Fannie Mae CEO Franklin Raines begging for more subprime loans before the crisis.
In fact, loans purchased, insured or guaranteed by either Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac, as well as FHA, are automatically designated "qualified mortgages" under new mortgage rules issued by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
The new rule offers some legal protection to lenders pressured to make junk mortgages. Although FHA is the government's new anchor subprime program, Fannie and Freddie are still backing subprime mortgages.
Pressure to ease credit is coming from other federal agencies, including the Justice Department, which has threatened banks with lawsuits if they don't reinvest in minority communities hit hard by subprime foreclosures. It's ordered some lenders to open branches in recessed areas of Detroit and St. Louis and other cities with heavy subprime foreclosures.
What's more, the biggest mortgage lenders in the country, including Wells Fargo and Bank of America, are under federal mandates to advertise in minority media and offer loans to people on "public assistance."
The government is actually forcing them to target high-risk borrowers for 30-year debt under threat of prosecution. They have to adopt minority-friendly loan programs over the next several years or face investigation for discrimination.
Some of these programs include setting aside millions in prime mortgages for minorities who, according to government documents IBD has reviewed, would ordinarily not qualify for reasons including "the lack of required credit quality, income or down payment."
In effect, Justice is using private banks to carry out affirmative-action lending.
Obama's new credit-fairness police force is actively engaged in the administration's rebooted crusade to boost minority homeownership. CFPB coordinates investigations with Justice and HUD and participates in the Federal Interagency Task Force on Fair Lending.
As IBD also first reported, the little-known task force of bank regulators has dusted off a Clinton-era regulation known as the "Policy Statement on Discrimination in Lending," which warns lenders they have an obligation to be more "flexible" with minority homebuyers with weak credit to make up for "past discrimination."
It's the same result: unsustainable homeownership.
New data from John Burns Real Estate Consulting estimates a whopping 7 in 10 deadbeat homebuyers will qualify for another mortgage by the time Obama leaves office, thanks to his easy lending policies. That's over 3 million subprime foreclosures and serious credit risks going right back into the financial system and right back onto the books of Fannie and Freddie and FHA.
The new housing mandates are designed to build homeownership among subprime borrowers who lost their jobs and homes, regardless of their credit history or savings or how much equity they can bring to the table. But the administration is just setting these folks and their families and neighborhoods up for failure all over again.
Once again, Democrats, this time led by Obama, are sowing the seeds of another financial disaster.
source: ibd
Subprime Scandal: The administration is fueling another housing bubble by pushing lenders to finance homes for people who can't afford them. Pressure is coming from all corners of government.
President Obama is worried about a plunge in new-home buying among minority borrowers with subprime credit scores. So he's using the Federal Housing Administration, for starters, to help finance failure.
In a reckless gambit, FHA is asking lenders to relax lending standards, while assuring them it will back home loans down to a 580 FICO score with a minimal down payment and high debt-to-income ratio.
"The obligation that I have is to ensure lenders using the FHA program are lending to as full a spectrum of the credit box as possible," FHA Commissioner Carol Galante recently said.
FHA's chief urging banks to underwrite subprime loans conjures up bad memories of Fannie Mae CEO Franklin Raines begging for more subprime loans before the crisis.
In fact, loans purchased, insured or guaranteed by either Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac, as well as FHA, are automatically designated "qualified mortgages" under new mortgage rules issued by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
The new rule offers some legal protection to lenders pressured to make junk mortgages. Although FHA is the government's new anchor subprime program, Fannie and Freddie are still backing subprime mortgages.
Pressure to ease credit is coming from other federal agencies, including the Justice Department, which has threatened banks with lawsuits if they don't reinvest in minority communities hit hard by subprime foreclosures. It's ordered some lenders to open branches in recessed areas of Detroit and St. Louis and other cities with heavy subprime foreclosures.
What's more, the biggest mortgage lenders in the country, including Wells Fargo and Bank of America, are under federal mandates to advertise in minority media and offer loans to people on "public assistance."
The government is actually forcing them to target high-risk borrowers for 30-year debt under threat of prosecution. They have to adopt minority-friendly loan programs over the next several years or face investigation for discrimination.
Some of these programs include setting aside millions in prime mortgages for minorities who, according to government documents IBD has reviewed, would ordinarily not qualify for reasons including "the lack of required credit quality, income or down payment."
In effect, Justice is using private banks to carry out affirmative-action lending.
Obama's new credit-fairness police force is actively engaged in the administration's rebooted crusade to boost minority homeownership. CFPB coordinates investigations with Justice and HUD and participates in the Federal Interagency Task Force on Fair Lending.
As IBD also first reported, the little-known task force of bank regulators has dusted off a Clinton-era regulation known as the "Policy Statement on Discrimination in Lending," which warns lenders they have an obligation to be more "flexible" with minority homebuyers with weak credit to make up for "past discrimination."
It's the same result: unsustainable homeownership.
New data from John Burns Real Estate Consulting estimates a whopping 7 in 10 deadbeat homebuyers will qualify for another mortgage by the time Obama leaves office, thanks to his easy lending policies. That's over 3 million subprime foreclosures and serious credit risks going right back into the financial system and right back onto the books of Fannie and Freddie and FHA.
The new housing mandates are designed to build homeownership among subprime borrowers who lost their jobs and homes, regardless of their credit history or savings or how much equity they can bring to the table. But the administration is just setting these folks and their families and neighborhoods up for failure all over again.
Once again, Democrats, this time led by Obama, are sowing the seeds of another financial disaster.
source: ibd
The Embarrassment That Is CNN Situation Room’s Coverage Of Boston
April 16, 2013
Wolf Blitzer took to the airwaves at 5pm Eastern time, about two hours after the twin bombings near the finish line of the Boston Marathon. Wolf brought on CNN contributor Tom Fuentes, who didn’t want to ‘speculate’ as to whether this was terrorism, but that if it was, certainly there are a lot of domestic terrorist groups like white supremacists and/or the Aryan Brotherhood.
Read more about this piece of shit HERE>>
Wolf Blitzer took to the airwaves at 5pm Eastern time, about two hours after the twin bombings near the finish line of the Boston Marathon. Wolf brought on CNN contributor Tom Fuentes, who didn’t want to ‘speculate’ as to whether this was terrorism, but that if it was, certainly there are a lot of domestic terrorist groups like white supremacists and/or the Aryan Brotherhood.
Read more about this piece of shit HERE>>
Beau Biden: Expand Definition of Who’s Mentally Unfit to Own a Gun
April 16, 2013
SURPRISE: Delaware Attorney General Beau Biden said the next step in gun-control is going to be expanding the definition of those deemed mentally unfit to own a gun.
FULL STORY>>
SURPRISE: Delaware Attorney General Beau Biden said the next step in gun-control is going to be expanding the definition of those deemed mentally unfit to own a gun.
FULL STORY>>
Did Hugo Chavez's handpicked successor steal the Venezuelan election?
April 16, 2013
Nicolas Maduro officially eked out a win over opposition candidate Henrique Capriles, but Capriles is calling foul
Late Sunday, acting Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro declared victory in the country's first presidential election since the death of longtime leader Hugo Chavez. The national election commission had just released the results, much closer than the polls had foretold: Maduro, 50.66 percent; Henrique Capriles, 49.07 percent. While Maduro was celebrating, Capriles was calling fraud — and tweeting. FULL STORY>>
Nicolas Maduro officially eked out a win over opposition candidate Henrique Capriles, but Capriles is calling foul
Former Obama Advisers Cash In
April 16, 2013
New consulting firms, corporate gigs for the former administration and campaign operatives
Former Obama advisers are now cashing in left and right, through a variety of corporate and advisory roles in the private sector, the New Republic’s Noam Scheiber reports.
From the first lady’s former communications director now the vice president of Siemens corporate affairs, to individual consulting deals for Obama campaign operatives like Stephanie Cutter and David Plouffe, there is a new generation of “Obama millionaires.”
For instance, Scheiber notes, former UBS president Robert Wolf has opened shop with a new firm called 32 Advisors, which advises domestic and foreign business clients:
The firm opened its doors in February after signing up several prominent Obama alumni, including former White House economic adviser Austan Goolsbee, who will provide “economic intelligence” as a “strategic partner,” and Kevin Varney, the former chief of staff of the government’s export-import bank (the very same agency clients will hit up for loans). Wolf hopes to keep the roster of companies he works with small and the interactions intimate. “We’re very exclusive,” he says. “The clients want to be serviced.” Goolsbee, for example, hosts a weekly conference call with roughly a dozen hedge funds and private-equity firms to opine on the topic of the day. He occasionally dines with one of the fund managers. [...]
Though Wolf promises that his firm won’t lobby—anyone who asks will be referred to Washington fixer (and strategic partner) Heather Podesta—the text of the website advertises a “broad network of relationships” to help clients“open and sustain the lines of communication with political, business and financial leaders.” None of this has gone unnoticed in Obamaworld. “There are those of us who e-mailed it to each other to laugh about it,” says a former White House official. “It’s stunning.”
Wolf raised more than half a million dollars for the president’s reelection campaign, and is a fairly frequent Obama golf partner. In 2009, Obama appointed Wolf to the Economic Recovery Advisory Board; he also served on the Economic Recovery Advisory Board.
Scheiber also writes of a rift between a contingency of former advisers linked to SKDKnickerbocker managing director Anita Dunn, and advisers close to David Axelrod, Bob Gibbs, and Plouffe:
Members of the Axelrod-Gibbs-Plouffe axis chafe at the work Dunn’s firm, SKDKnickerbocker, has done for ex–Republican governor Charlie Crist andfor a coalition of junk-food manufacturers. “We’re very sensitive about not working for anyone that … might reflect poorly on the president,” says one former Obama adviser. “Other firms haven’t concerned themselves with that. Anita Dunn and SKDK worked on the sugar campaign in direct competition with the first lady’s anti-obesity campaign.”
In response, those close to Dunn cry double standard. Plouffe, after all, has made hundreds of thousands of dollars advising corporate clients like Boeing and G.E., and he once gave a speech in Azerbaijan underwritten by a group closely aligned with the country’s dictator. Gibbs served as a semi-official spokesman for the Obama campaign last year while commanding jaw-dropping speaking fees from corporations no doubt keen to influence the White House. (Gibbs says there’s a difference between handicapping the presidential race and “advising groups who oppose the president and first lady’s top priorities.”) Dunn’s defenders also note that she was successful for decades before advising Obama, unlike some of the newly minted “Obama millionaires.”
Plouffe’s Azerbijan-underwritten speech was not his only engagement with questionable backers; the adviser was paid to speak in 2010 by a South African company with ties to the Assad regime. He has also earned up to $20,000 investing in Standard Charter Bank, a British bank that broke sanctions to do business with Iranian clients.
The former advisers also have been much cosier with hedge funds in their private sector ventures.
Gibbs was paid to speak last year at the SALT Conference, an annual meeting of some of the world’s most powerful hedge fund managers, investors, and political figures. Axelrod spoke at the event the year before, as well.
As reported by the Washington Free Beacon, an email proposal circulated last year among hedge fund managers last year by a PR firm touted Dunn as a consultant to improve the industry’s image.
Source: Washington Free Beacon
additional editing: Mine
New consulting firms, corporate gigs for the former administration and campaign operatives
 |
| Wealthy Democrat Stephanie "The Tooth" Cutter |
From the first lady’s former communications director now the vice president of Siemens corporate affairs, to individual consulting deals for Obama campaign operatives like Stephanie Cutter and David Plouffe, there is a new generation of “Obama millionaires.”
For instance, Scheiber notes, former UBS president Robert Wolf has opened shop with a new firm called 32 Advisors, which advises domestic and foreign business clients:
The firm opened its doors in February after signing up several prominent Obama alumni, including former White House economic adviser Austan Goolsbee, who will provide “economic intelligence” as a “strategic partner,” and Kevin Varney, the former chief of staff of the government’s export-import bank (the very same agency clients will hit up for loans). Wolf hopes to keep the roster of companies he works with small and the interactions intimate. “We’re very exclusive,” he says. “The clients want to be serviced.” Goolsbee, for example, hosts a weekly conference call with roughly a dozen hedge funds and private-equity firms to opine on the topic of the day. He occasionally dines with one of the fund managers. [...]
Though Wolf promises that his firm won’t lobby—anyone who asks will be referred to Washington fixer (and strategic partner) Heather Podesta—the text of the website advertises a “broad network of relationships” to help clients“open and sustain the lines of communication with political, business and financial leaders.” None of this has gone unnoticed in Obamaworld. “There are those of us who e-mailed it to each other to laugh about it,” says a former White House official. “It’s stunning.”
Wolf raised more than half a million dollars for the president’s reelection campaign, and is a fairly frequent Obama golf partner. In 2009, Obama appointed Wolf to the Economic Recovery Advisory Board; he also served on the Economic Recovery Advisory Board.
Scheiber also writes of a rift between a contingency of former advisers linked to SKDKnickerbocker managing director Anita Dunn, and advisers close to David Axelrod, Bob Gibbs, and Plouffe:
Members of the Axelrod-Gibbs-Plouffe axis chafe at the work Dunn’s firm, SKDKnickerbocker, has done for ex–Republican governor Charlie Crist andfor a coalition of junk-food manufacturers. “We’re very sensitive about not working for anyone that … might reflect poorly on the president,” says one former Obama adviser. “Other firms haven’t concerned themselves with that. Anita Dunn and SKDK worked on the sugar campaign in direct competition with the first lady’s anti-obesity campaign.”
In response, those close to Dunn cry double standard. Plouffe, after all, has made hundreds of thousands of dollars advising corporate clients like Boeing and G.E., and he once gave a speech in Azerbaijan underwritten by a group closely aligned with the country’s dictator. Gibbs served as a semi-official spokesman for the Obama campaign last year while commanding jaw-dropping speaking fees from corporations no doubt keen to influence the White House. (Gibbs says there’s a difference between handicapping the presidential race and “advising groups who oppose the president and first lady’s top priorities.”) Dunn’s defenders also note that she was successful for decades before advising Obama, unlike some of the newly minted “Obama millionaires.”
Plouffe’s Azerbijan-underwritten speech was not his only engagement with questionable backers; the adviser was paid to speak in 2010 by a South African company with ties to the Assad regime. He has also earned up to $20,000 investing in Standard Charter Bank, a British bank that broke sanctions to do business with Iranian clients.
The former advisers also have been much cosier with hedge funds in their private sector ventures.
Gibbs was paid to speak last year at the SALT Conference, an annual meeting of some of the world’s most powerful hedge fund managers, investors, and political figures. Axelrod spoke at the event the year before, as well.
As reported by the Washington Free Beacon, an email proposal circulated last year among hedge fund managers last year by a PR firm touted Dunn as a consultant to improve the industry’s image.
Source: Washington Free Beacon
additional editing: Mine
RINO McCain: Boston Tragedy Could Delay Immigration Bill
April 16, 2013
A key senator says the unveiling of a sweeping immigration bill set for Tuesday could be delayed because of the tragedy at the Boston marathon.
More..
A key senator says the unveiling of a sweeping immigration bill set for Tuesday could be delayed because of the tragedy at the Boston marathon.
More..
Jackass Radical Harry Reid proclaims those supporting the 2nd amendment as unreasonable extremists, while compomising it away as normal
April 16, 2013
Reid warns of ‘unreasonable extremists’ in gun debate
“This compromise legislation shouldn’t be controversial,” Mr. Reid said, adding that he hopes “there aren’t going to be a few unreasonable extremists” that will try to prevent a vote...
Keep Reading..
Reid warns of ‘unreasonable extremists’ in gun debate
“This compromise legislation shouldn’t be controversial,” Mr. Reid said, adding that he hopes “there aren’t going to be a few unreasonable extremists” that will try to prevent a vote...
Keep Reading..
Many "Democrats" think "welfare" no longer belongs in Pa. agency's name
April 16, 2013
SPY THE LIE:
HARRISBURG - The name Department of Public Welfare was no doubt seen as an improvement when the state came up with it nearly a century ago, merging two older offices - the Board of Charities and the Committee on Lunacy.
But now, 90 years later, Pennsylvania is one of just two states in the nation that still use the word welfare in the name of the massive agency that serves mainly the elderly, disabled, and children.
Full Story>>
SPY THE LIE:
HARRISBURG - The name Department of Public Welfare was no doubt seen as an improvement when the state came up with it nearly a century ago, merging two older offices - the Board of Charities and the Committee on Lunacy.
But now, 90 years later, Pennsylvania is one of just two states in the nation that still use the word welfare in the name of the massive agency that serves mainly the elderly, disabled, and children.
Full Story>>
Pope stands firm on reforming "radical feminist" U.S. nuns
April 16, 2013
VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis has reaffirmed the Vatican's criticism of a body that represents U.S. nuns which the Church said was tainted by "radical" feminism, dashing hopes he might take a softer stand with the sisters.
Francis's predecessor, Benedict, decreed that the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR), a group that represents more than 80 percent of the 57,000 Catholic nuns in the United States, must change its ways, a ruling which the Vatican said on Monday still applied.
Last year, a Vatican report said the LCWR had "serious doctrinal problems" and promoted "radical feminist themes incompatible with the Catholic faith", criticizing it for taking a soft line on issues such as birth control and homosexuality.
Read More HERE>>
VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis has reaffirmed the Vatican's criticism of a body that represents U.S. nuns which the Church said was tainted by "radical" feminism, dashing hopes he might take a softer stand with the sisters.
Francis's predecessor, Benedict, decreed that the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR), a group that represents more than 80 percent of the 57,000 Catholic nuns in the United States, must change its ways, a ruling which the Vatican said on Monday still applied.
Last year, a Vatican report said the LCWR had "serious doctrinal problems" and promoted "radical feminist themes incompatible with the Catholic faith", criticizing it for taking a soft line on issues such as birth control and homosexuality.
Read More HERE>>
The Jack Ass Has Spoken
April 16, 2013
Maggot Chris Matthews: 'Normally' Domestic Terrorists 'Tend to Be on the Far Right'
Just hours after explosions rocked the Boston Marathon on Monday, Chris Matthews speculated, "Normally domestic terrorists, people, tend to be on the far right." He then reconsidered and suggested, "...That’s not a good category, just extremists, let’s call them that."
During live coverage, the Hardball host highlighted a possible explosion at John F. Kennedy's presidential library and thought this could be a personal attack on the Democratic Party: "...But going after the Kennedy Library, not something at Bunker Hill, not something from the Freedom Trail or anything that kind of historic, but a modern political figure of the Democratic Party. Does that tell you something?" (Police are now considering the incident at the JFK library to be fire-related.) One can only guess what it tells Chris.
[Full story and video here. OR Listen to the MP3 audio here.]
Maggot Chris Matthews: 'Normally' Domestic Terrorists 'Tend to Be on the Far Right'
Just hours after explosions rocked the Boston Marathon on Monday, Chris Matthews speculated, "Normally domestic terrorists, people, tend to be on the far right." He then reconsidered and suggested, "...That’s not a good category, just extremists, let’s call them that."
During live coverage, the Hardball host highlighted a possible explosion at John F. Kennedy's presidential library and thought this could be a personal attack on the Democratic Party: "...But going after the Kennedy Library, not something at Bunker Hill, not something from the Freedom Trail or anything that kind of historic, but a modern political figure of the Democratic Party. Does that tell you something?" (Police are now considering the incident at the JFK library to be fire-related.) One can only guess what it tells Chris.
[Full story and video here. OR Listen to the MP3 audio here.]
Dead Dem Keeps On Giving (more criminals for the system to pay for)
April 16, 2013
Plea hearing slated for Murtha-linked Pa. brothers
Two brothers who owned defense contracting businesses that benefited from earmarks obtained by the late U.S. Rep. John Murtha are scheduled to appear in federal court Tuesday at a waiver and plea hearing on charges of defrauding the government.
A defense attorney said last month that Ronald and William Kuchera would waive their right to be indicted and plead guilty to federal charges accusing them of charging the military $650,000 for parts that were never delivered and paying a kickback to another contractor.
Ronald Kuchera's lawyer, Stanton Levenson, said the brothers were only waiting for a court date.
Murtha, who chaired the House Defense appropriations subcommittee, wasn't mentioned in the documents accusing the Kucheras of fraud and conspiracy via Kuchera Defense Systems Inc. and Kuchera Industries Inc., of Windber.
source
Plea hearing slated for Murtha-linked Pa. brothers
Two brothers who owned defense contracting businesses that benefited from earmarks obtained by the late U.S. Rep. John Murtha are scheduled to appear in federal court Tuesday at a waiver and plea hearing on charges of defrauding the government.
A defense attorney said last month that Ronald and William Kuchera would waive their right to be indicted and plead guilty to federal charges accusing them of charging the military $650,000 for parts that were never delivered and paying a kickback to another contractor.
Ronald Kuchera's lawyer, Stanton Levenson, said the brothers were only waiting for a court date.
Murtha, who chaired the House Defense appropriations subcommittee, wasn't mentioned in the documents accusing the Kucheras of fraud and conspiracy via Kuchera Defense Systems Inc. and Kuchera Industries Inc., of Windber.
source
Monday, April 15, 2013
Secret Nazi Base on Antarctica - Full Russian Documentary with English Subtitle
April 15, 2013
NOTE: Well it looks like Americans aren't the only crazy conspirator theorists when it comes to the reborn Nazi movement (aka "Hope and Change" and "Yes We Can") these days... I wasn't going to post it, but that would make our site no better than the mainstream media who intentionally hide news and information from you. So in all fairness to our readers, you can decide for yourselves.
Description:
Hitler's Germany was actively engaged in developing new types of weapons, trying to conquer the rest of the world. The best minds were focused on the invention of a death machine that would turn the tide of the war. Today, we know that their search was not limited to general science, but also deepened in the occult, mythology and the paranormal. And one of the most obscure and mysterious organizations engaged was "Ahnenerbe". Its origin "Ahnenerbe" comes from the mystical organizations "Germanenorden", "Tula" and "Vril." They were the "three columns" of National Socialist ideology, supporting the doctrine of the existence of a certain island - Arctis in prehistoric times. A powerful civilization, that had insight to almost all the secrets of the universe, has died after a grand catastrophe. Some people miraculously survived. Later they mixed with the Aryans, enabling the emergence of a race of superhumans - ancestors of the Germans. No more, no less! And why wouldn't they believe it: hints about it clearly stand out in the "Avesta" - the ancient Zoroastrian sources!
Source: Disclose.tv - Secret Nazi Base on Antarctica - Full Russian Documentary with English Subtitle
NOTE: Well it looks like Americans aren't the only crazy conspirator theorists when it comes to the reborn Nazi movement (aka "Hope and Change" and "Yes We Can") these days... I wasn't going to post it, but that would make our site no better than the mainstream media who intentionally hide news and information from you. So in all fairness to our readers, you can decide for yourselves.
Description:
Hitler's Germany was actively engaged in developing new types of weapons, trying to conquer the rest of the world. The best minds were focused on the invention of a death machine that would turn the tide of the war. Today, we know that their search was not limited to general science, but also deepened in the occult, mythology and the paranormal. And one of the most obscure and mysterious organizations engaged was "Ahnenerbe". Its origin "Ahnenerbe" comes from the mystical organizations "Germanenorden", "Tula" and "Vril." They were the "three columns" of National Socialist ideology, supporting the doctrine of the existence of a certain island - Arctis in prehistoric times. A powerful civilization, that had insight to almost all the secrets of the universe, has died after a grand catastrophe. Some people miraculously survived. Later they mixed with the Aryans, enabling the emergence of a race of superhumans - ancestors of the Germans. No more, no less! And why wouldn't they believe it: hints about it clearly stand out in the "Avesta" - the ancient Zoroastrian sources!
Source: Disclose.tv - Secret Nazi Base on Antarctica - Full Russian Documentary with English Subtitle
Voter Rights: History, The Supreme Court & Barack Obama
April 15, 2013
It can not be a coincidence that mere days after the Supreme Court heard testimony in a voter's rights case that Barack Obama issued a new Executive Order establishing an Election Review Committee. Some history is needed to make this picture more clear: the Voter's Rights Act of 1965 & 1995 National Voter Registration Act are both examples of federal oversight over state elections based on the federal votes casted in a given election.
In 1965, Congress took to task some southern states who were impeding on the rights of black voters by requiring a literacy test and other roadblocks, not to mention the violence of the mid-sixties. What is long forgotten, lied about & used by the far-left despite historical fact, is it was the very Democrats now lying about Civil Rights, who did these things. They were not done by "the evil Republicans."
The same Democrats overwhelmingly voted against the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and like Al Gore Sr, William Fulbright (who was Bill Clinton's mentor) & KKK recruiter, Robert Byrd, they remained Democrat.
Let's have a look at the vote tally for the Voter's Rights Act of 1965>>
It can not be a coincidence that mere days after the Supreme Court heard testimony in a voter's rights case that Barack Obama issued a new Executive Order establishing an Election Review Committee. Some history is needed to make this picture more clear: the Voter's Rights Act of 1965 & 1995 National Voter Registration Act are both examples of federal oversight over state elections based on the federal votes casted in a given election.
In 1965, Congress took to task some southern states who were impeding on the rights of black voters by requiring a literacy test and other roadblocks, not to mention the violence of the mid-sixties. What is long forgotten, lied about & used by the far-left despite historical fact, is it was the very Democrats now lying about Civil Rights, who did these things. They were not done by "the evil Republicans."
The same Democrats overwhelmingly voted against the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and like Al Gore Sr, William Fulbright (who was Bill Clinton's mentor) & KKK recruiter, Robert Byrd, they remained Democrat.
Let's have a look at the vote tally for the Voter's Rights Act of 1965>>
Bill Ayers confirms what Obama has denied. Weatherman domestic terrorist finally spills the beans
April 15, 2013
Weatherman domestic terrorist Bill Ayers is now confirming what the White House has previously denied – that he held a fundraiser in his living room for Barack Obama.
That 1995 meeting was said to have launched Obama’s political career.
In an October 2008 interview on MSNBC host Chris Matthews’ show, Robert Gibbs, a spokesman for Obama’s presidential campaign, categorically denied the fundraiser was ever held.
Matthews asked Gibbs: “Did [Ayers] have a fundraiser for [Obama], or not?”
Gibbs, who would become the White House spokesman, replied: “No, he did not have a fundraiser for our candidate as he said ten seconds ago.”
However, in an interview last week with the Daily Beast, Ayers recalled that fundraiser.
Full Story>>
That 1995 meeting was said to have launched Obama’s political career.
In an October 2008 interview on MSNBC host Chris Matthews’ show, Robert Gibbs, a spokesman for Obama’s presidential campaign, categorically denied the fundraiser was ever held.
Matthews asked Gibbs: “Did [Ayers] have a fundraiser for [Obama], or not?”
Gibbs, who would become the White House spokesman, replied: “No, he did not have a fundraiser for our candidate as he said ten seconds ago.”
However, in an interview last week with the Daily Beast, Ayers recalled that fundraiser.
Full Story>>
The "Great Uniter" Update: Death Penalty In Beating, Burning Death in Underreported Black on White Hate Crime (With Video)
April 15, 2013
The State Attorney’s Office may seek the death penalty against three people accused of beating a woman then burning her alive.
Anthony Lamar Pressley, 26, Kiesha LeShay Pugh, 28, and Gregory Edward Williams, 21, were each charged with homicide and robbery for the March 31 death of Melinda McCormick inside her burning apartment of Mobile Highway. All three have confessed, investigators said.
Deputies say an autopsy shows McCormick was hit 40 times with a hammer, lead pipe and crow bar. She was still alive when her bed sheets were set on fire, according to the State Fire Marshal’s Office. They were caught on video (see below) headed to and away from the area of the apartment.
Williams reportedly told investigators that he hated white people, and that was a partial reason for the crime.The trio allegedly planned to steal Social Security money from McCormick. Officials said arson charges may also be added against the men.
“This was a particular hateful crime,” Escambia County Sheriff David Morgan said. “One of the saddest parts of this story is that the card that they intended to steal was not even in the woman’s residence.”
source
Anthony Lamar Pressley, 26, Kiesha LeShay Pugh, 28, and Gregory Edward Williams, 21, were each charged with homicide and robbery for the March 31 death of Melinda McCormick inside her burning apartment of Mobile Highway. All three have confessed, investigators said.
Williams reportedly told investigators that he hated white people, and that was a partial reason for the crime.The trio allegedly planned to steal Social Security money from McCormick. Officials said arson charges may also be added against the men.
“This was a particular hateful crime,” Escambia County Sheriff David Morgan said. “One of the saddest parts of this story is that the card that they intended to steal was not even in the woman’s residence.”
source
This week in underreported black crime: Man pleads guilty to murdering seven year old execution style
April 15, 2013
Micheal Bell is one of two men accused of murdering a white male and his seven year old niece in Indianapolis. He has accepted a plea deal to avoid the death penalty.
The crane family had previously allowed Michael Bell too stay at their house. Micheal Bell showed up with a friend and asked Jeremy Crane if he could use their bathroom. The victims, Seven year old Kyleigh Crane and her uncle Jeremy Crane , were then killed execution style. The killers only stole a video game system and a cell phone.
Source: C of CC
Micheal Bell is one of two men accused of murdering a white male and his seven year old niece in Indianapolis. He has accepted a plea deal to avoid the death penalty.
The crane family had previously allowed Michael Bell too stay at their house. Micheal Bell showed up with a friend and asked Jeremy Crane if he could use their bathroom. The victims, Seven year old Kyleigh Crane and her uncle Jeremy Crane , were then killed execution style. The killers only stole a video game system and a cell phone.
 |
| Photo from WIBC |
 |
| Photo from WIBC |
Source: C of CC
Assault On Freedoms: A Week In Review
April 15, 2013
(Da Tech Guy) - This week has been a difficult one for religious freedom and liberty. Freedoms have taken a beating from all sides of the country. The week against liberty started off with MSNBC host Melissa Harris-Parry saying that our kids “belonged” to the community. (A funny reply on Facebook had a picture of Sarah Palin with the quote “Dear MSNBC, if our kids belong to you, do your kids belong to us? If so, can we take them hunting after church in our big pickup truck?” Awesome.)
By Tuesday, there was media blackout about the trial of Dr. Kermit Gosnell, an abortionist who murdered babies AFTER birth. That’s right, he killed babies…after they had been born. Main stream media has ignored this man’s atrocious behaviors. By turning a blind eye, the violation of the children’s rights is being ignored.
By the time Wednesday came around, California lawmakers had proposed SB-323, a bill that would remove the Boy Scouts tax exempt status if they did not allow openly gay men and boys to join their organization. Regardless of your belief about same-sex marriage, this removes the freedom of an organization to set restrictions around its membership. The government’s place is not to dictate to organizations that they must violate their religious liberty and extend membership to those outside the limits their beliefs dictate.
Another unfortunate assault came from the military. A United States Army officer sent a 14 page email labeling Christian groups as “domestic hate groups.”
“The message, apparently sent by Lt. Col. Jack Rich at Fort Campbell in Kentucky, also instructed those who received the e-mail to be on the look-out for fellow soldiers who might be supporters of the organizations (or who, at the least, aren’t upholding “Army Values”).”
(It should be noted that this comes only a week after Foxnews’ Todd Starnes reported that a training instructor in the Army labeled evangelical Christianity “religious extremism.”)
The Attorney General in Washington also decided to sue a florist who opted out of providing flowers for a gay wedding. The florist, Barronelle Stutzman, stated it was against her faith to provide arrangements for the wedding. The government is now suing her and threatening a $2,000 fine for each violation.
This week, Americans have had their freedoms challenged from state governments, the U.S. military, and the media. And this is just 1 week of a sampling of what was reported…a subsection of all of instances it occurs.
When people argue that gay marriage should be legalized or promote the ideal of “live and let live,” it’s important to realize that when the government promotes one entity, it can be robbing Constitution-protected freedoms from another. Marriage is not a “right” defined in any of the founding documents. Freedom of religion is protected.
Rebecca @ AmericaIsConservative.org
By Tuesday, there was media blackout about the trial of Dr. Kermit Gosnell, an abortionist who murdered babies AFTER birth. That’s right, he killed babies…after they had been born. Main stream media has ignored this man’s atrocious behaviors. By turning a blind eye, the violation of the children’s rights is being ignored.
By the time Wednesday came around, California lawmakers had proposed SB-323, a bill that would remove the Boy Scouts tax exempt status if they did not allow openly gay men and boys to join their organization. Regardless of your belief about same-sex marriage, this removes the freedom of an organization to set restrictions around its membership. The government’s place is not to dictate to organizations that they must violate their religious liberty and extend membership to those outside the limits their beliefs dictate.
Another unfortunate assault came from the military. A United States Army officer sent a 14 page email labeling Christian groups as “domestic hate groups.”
“The message, apparently sent by Lt. Col. Jack Rich at Fort Campbell in Kentucky, also instructed those who received the e-mail to be on the look-out for fellow soldiers who might be supporters of the organizations (or who, at the least, aren’t upholding “Army Values”).”
(It should be noted that this comes only a week after Foxnews’ Todd Starnes reported that a training instructor in the Army labeled evangelical Christianity “religious extremism.”)
The Attorney General in Washington also decided to sue a florist who opted out of providing flowers for a gay wedding. The florist, Barronelle Stutzman, stated it was against her faith to provide arrangements for the wedding. The government is now suing her and threatening a $2,000 fine for each violation.
This week, Americans have had their freedoms challenged from state governments, the U.S. military, and the media. And this is just 1 week of a sampling of what was reported…a subsection of all of instances it occurs.
When people argue that gay marriage should be legalized or promote the ideal of “live and let live,” it’s important to realize that when the government promotes one entity, it can be robbing Constitution-protected freedoms from another. Marriage is not a “right” defined in any of the founding documents. Freedom of religion is protected.
Rebecca @ AmericaIsConservative.org
Yahoo Sports attempts to derail the topic right in the article: Man shoots self in infield at NRA 500
April 15, 2013
The death of a man in the infield of Texas Motor Speedway on Saturday night during the Sprint Cup Series NRA 500 has been ruled a suicide from a gunshot to the head, according to the Tarrant County Medical Examiner's office.
The incident happened late in the race when Kirk Franklin, 42, of Saginaw, Texas, apparently got into an argument with other campers, according to the Associated Press. Track spokesperson Mike Zizzo said Saturday night that the incident happened "in or around a pickup truck" in the infield.
Firearms were prohibited by Texas law from being brought in to the track by fans. The NRA's sponsorship of the race came under scrutiny when it was announced earlier this year after Michael Waltrip ran a Sandy Hook benefit car at the Daytona 500 encouraging fans to text to give to Newtown, Conn. It was the NRA's first Sprint Cup Series sponsorship; it sponsored the Nationwide Series race at Atlanta Motor Speeedway in September.
As is custom for all race sponsors, the NRA was offered the chance to buy the premium ad package from Fox Sports that would include commercial time, sponsor mentions and graphics with the race name. The NRA declined, and thus the race was presented without a sponsor on in-race graphics and the Fox broadcast mentioned the title sponsor once an hour. Earlier in the week, Connecticut Senator Chris Murphy (D) wrote a letter to Fox to ask the network not to broadcast the race.
The NRA's sponsorship met and passed all NASCAR guidelines for sponsorship approval, but the sanctioning body said on Friday that it would take a closer look at other factors when going through its standard sponsorship approval process moving forward.
In 2008, a fan was hit by a stray bullet at Texas Motor Speedway after a gun was shot into the air and the bullet came into her RV through the roof and landed in her arm.
source
The incident happened late in the race when Kirk Franklin, 42, of Saginaw, Texas, apparently got into an argument with other campers, according to the Associated Press. Track spokesperson Mike Zizzo said Saturday night that the incident happened "in or around a pickup truck" in the infield.
Firearms were prohibited by Texas law from being brought in to the track by fans. The NRA's sponsorship of the race came under scrutiny when it was announced earlier this year after Michael Waltrip ran a Sandy Hook benefit car at the Daytona 500 encouraging fans to text to give to Newtown, Conn. It was the NRA's first Sprint Cup Series sponsorship; it sponsored the Nationwide Series race at Atlanta Motor Speeedway in September.
As is custom for all race sponsors, the NRA was offered the chance to buy the premium ad package from Fox Sports that would include commercial time, sponsor mentions and graphics with the race name. The NRA declined, and thus the race was presented without a sponsor on in-race graphics and the Fox broadcast mentioned the title sponsor once an hour. Earlier in the week, Connecticut Senator Chris Murphy (D) wrote a letter to Fox to ask the network not to broadcast the race.
The NRA's sponsorship met and passed all NASCAR guidelines for sponsorship approval, but the sanctioning body said on Friday that it would take a closer look at other factors when going through its standard sponsorship approval process moving forward.
In 2008, a fan was hit by a stray bullet at Texas Motor Speedway after a gun was shot into the air and the bullet came into her RV through the roof and landed in her arm.
source
Students need permission slip to attend Santorum event at Detroit-area school
April 15, 2013
By Associated Press
A Detroit-area school district reversed course Wednesday and said former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum can speak later this month at Grosse Pointe South High School.
Students, however, will need a permission slip from parents to attend the speech, which is planned during school hours on April 24. The Pennsylvania Republican served in Congress for 16 years and was a conservative GOP candidate for president in 2012.
"It is unfortunate that students are required to get permission slips from their parents to hear a speech on leadership and public service," Santorum said in a statement.
Grosse Pointe South principal Matt Outlaw had canceled the event Monday, partly because the group sponsoring the visit wouldn't share a copy of his speech ahead of the appearance. Santorum is supposed to talk about leadership, and Outlaw wanted assurances the address wouldn't turn political.
School spokeswoman Rebecca Fannon said some parents were also concerned about Santorum's conservative social views.
"I've learned some things here. I wish we could wind back the clock a bit on this," Outlaw told The Associated Press.
"I spoke to the senator. I apologized for the situation," Outlaw said. "He's very excited to come here. He mentioned that he's been to the Grosse Pointe community many times. ... We think we'll have a very large crowd."
Santorum said he's being allowed to speak only because of "tremendous pressure" from parents, students and some school staff.
"I look forward to talking about why it's critical to be involved in the political process and stand up for our constitutional freedoms," he said.
The district said students who belong to a group, Young Americans for Freedom, raised $18,000 to pay for the visit.
"Whether the personal beliefs of a speaker are in agreement with your beliefs or not, we can learn so much from those that have such a wealth of knowledge and experience," Outlaw said in a letter to parents.
source
A Detroit-area school district reversed course Wednesday and said former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum can speak later this month at Grosse Pointe South High School.
Students, however, will need a permission slip from parents to attend the speech, which is planned during school hours on April 24. The Pennsylvania Republican served in Congress for 16 years and was a conservative GOP candidate for president in 2012.
"It is unfortunate that students are required to get permission slips from their parents to hear a speech on leadership and public service," Santorum said in a statement.
Grosse Pointe South principal Matt Outlaw had canceled the event Monday, partly because the group sponsoring the visit wouldn't share a copy of his speech ahead of the appearance. Santorum is supposed to talk about leadership, and Outlaw wanted assurances the address wouldn't turn political.
School spokeswoman Rebecca Fannon said some parents were also concerned about Santorum's conservative social views.
"I've learned some things here. I wish we could wind back the clock a bit on this," Outlaw told The Associated Press.
"I spoke to the senator. I apologized for the situation," Outlaw said. "He's very excited to come here. He mentioned that he's been to the Grosse Pointe community many times. ... We think we'll have a very large crowd."
Santorum said he's being allowed to speak only because of "tremendous pressure" from parents, students and some school staff.
"I look forward to talking about why it's critical to be involved in the political process and stand up for our constitutional freedoms," he said.
The district said students who belong to a group, Young Americans for Freedom, raised $18,000 to pay for the visit.
"Whether the personal beliefs of a speaker are in agreement with your beliefs or not, we can learn so much from those that have such a wealth of knowledge and experience," Outlaw said in a letter to parents.
source
Sunday, April 14, 2013
Anti-American Agenda has Jacksonville parents concerned about son's First Amendment lesson
April 14, 2013
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- A local 10-year-old has decided to give up some of his constitutional rights, if what he wrote in crayon is to be believed.
"According to the children, [the teacher] spoke the sentence and they had to write down what she said," said Aaron Harvey, the fourth grader's concerned father.
Harvey said his son did what he was told during a civics lesson at Cedar Hills Elementary School and wrote, "I am willing to give up some of my constitution rights in order to be safer or more secure."
Aaron Harvey believes this statement reflects the teacher's personal opinion and has no place in his impressionable son's classroom.
"I don't believe that any American or American child should be asked to write this," he said.
Aaron Harvey believes his fourth grade son should be taught the history and importance of First Amendment rights. Amy Harvey, the boy's mother, who was shocked to find the note, agrees.
"If I don't check his backpack I won't find things like this," she said.
The Harveys said they are not sure if the lawyer participating in the lesson assigned the work or the teacher a few days later.
Duval County Public Schools Superintendent Nikolai Vitti in a written statement said, "The Justice Teaching activity on constitutional rights that was conducted at Cedar Hills Elementary School is consistent with our efforts to broaden civics-based education and develop critical thinking skills among our students. The lesson builds awareness of First Amendment rights through a partnership with an association of local attorneys. Our possible concern rests with a follow-up activity that may have been conducted after the lesson."
Aaron Harvey said he had a conference call Friday with the principal of Cedar Hills Elementary, his son's teacher and a counselor. An in-person meeting has been scheduled for Friday, April 19th. Harvey has invited a number of the parents in his son's class to attend.
source: First Coast News
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- A local 10-year-old has decided to give up some of his constitutional rights, if what he wrote in crayon is to be believed.
"According to the children, [the teacher] spoke the sentence and they had to write down what she said," said Aaron Harvey, the fourth grader's concerned father.
Harvey said his son did what he was told during a civics lesson at Cedar Hills Elementary School and wrote, "I am willing to give up some of my constitution rights in order to be safer or more secure."
Aaron Harvey believes this statement reflects the teacher's personal opinion and has no place in his impressionable son's classroom.
"I don't believe that any American or American child should be asked to write this," he said.
Aaron Harvey believes his fourth grade son should be taught the history and importance of First Amendment rights. Amy Harvey, the boy's mother, who was shocked to find the note, agrees.
"If I don't check his backpack I won't find things like this," she said.
The Harveys said they are not sure if the lawyer participating in the lesson assigned the work or the teacher a few days later.
Duval County Public Schools Superintendent Nikolai Vitti in a written statement said, "The Justice Teaching activity on constitutional rights that was conducted at Cedar Hills Elementary School is consistent with our efforts to broaden civics-based education and develop critical thinking skills among our students. The lesson builds awareness of First Amendment rights through a partnership with an association of local attorneys. Our possible concern rests with a follow-up activity that may have been conducted after the lesson."
Aaron Harvey said he had a conference call Friday with the principal of Cedar Hills Elementary, his son's teacher and a counselor. An in-person meeting has been scheduled for Friday, April 19th. Harvey has invited a number of the parents in his son's class to attend.
source: First Coast News
RNC rejects conservative-backed rules changes
April 14, 2013
Proposals would have undone convention ‘power grab’
HOLLYWOOD - Republican National Committee members failed to reach a compromise over rules changes pushed by the party’s grass-roots activists, defeating on a 28-25 vote a proposed amendment that would return more decision-making power to the state Republican parties.
The defeat angered conservative GOP activists who complained that changes pushed through last year by the campaign of 2012 presidential nominee Mitt Romney were a “power grab” that concentrated too much power in the party’s central machinery, whose priorities include nominating a candidate considered wealthy enough and moderate enough to win a national election.
Read the rest HERE>>
Proposals would have undone convention ‘power grab’
 |
| Reince Priebus has been the target of criticism over a 2012 election post-mortem report that has riled Republican Party conservatives. (Associated Press) |
The defeat angered conservative GOP activists who complained that changes pushed through last year by the campaign of 2012 presidential nominee Mitt Romney were a “power grab” that concentrated too much power in the party’s central machinery, whose priorities include nominating a candidate considered wealthy enough and moderate enough to win a national election.
Read the rest HERE>>
EXCLUSIVE: Israel Vanishing from Scotland Libraries
April 14, 2013
* Please note I am dead set against freedom of speech related bans. The purpose of this post is to share their frustration.
INN Op-Ed: It does not matter what ideas are contained in these books, it is the bare fact of their origin which is enough for them to be banned.
One of Scotland’s councils has just implemented a boycott of Israel after comparing the country to apartheid South Africa.
The Clackmannanshire Council declared it would resist all economic and political support for Israel in order to “end suffering in Palestine”. In Scotland, once known as the only European country which has no history of state persecution of Jews, a region is officially dedicated to the eradication of the Jewish State as a malevolent, “settler” and foreign entity.
Full story at Israeli National News>>
* Please note I am dead set against freedom of speech related bans. The purpose of this post is to share their frustration.
INN Op-Ed: It does not matter what ideas are contained in these books, it is the bare fact of their origin which is enough for them to be banned.
One of Scotland’s councils has just implemented a boycott of Israel after comparing the country to apartheid South Africa.
The Clackmannanshire Council declared it would resist all economic and political support for Israel in order to “end suffering in Palestine”. In Scotland, once known as the only European country which has no history of state persecution of Jews, a region is officially dedicated to the eradication of the Jewish State as a malevolent, “settler” and foreign entity.
Full story at Israeli National News>>
Why put off stealing tomorrow what you can steal today?
April 14, 2013
Obama: ‘Prohibit’ Americans from Saving More Than $3M in Retirement Accounts
(CNSNews.com) - President Barack Obama’s proposed budget would simultaneously compel Americans to enroll in a tax-deferred retirement account and “prohibit” them from saving more than $3 million in such accounts.
That sum, Obama’s budget argues, is all that is “needed to fund reasonable levels of retirement saving.”
Keep reading..
Obama: ‘Prohibit’ Americans from Saving More Than $3M in Retirement Accounts
 |
| President Barack Obama on the Great Wall of China. (AP Photo) |
That sum, Obama’s budget argues, is all that is “needed to fund reasonable levels of retirement saving.”
Keep reading..
Homeschoolers alarmed by plans to track students
April 14, 2013
'Big Brother' mentality 'has no place in a free society'
The nation’s leading homeschooling organization is warning parents that the federal government is advancing its aim of identifying and tracking students throughout their school careers, from birth through college graduation.
In an online statement, William Estrada, director of federal relations for the Home School Legal Defense Association, acknowledged statistics on student achievement are helpful to researchers and parents.
Read the FULL STORY>>
'Big Brother' mentality 'has no place in a free society'
In an online statement, William Estrada, director of federal relations for the Home School Legal Defense Association, acknowledged statistics on student achievement are helpful to researchers and parents.
Read the FULL STORY>>
Guns and Race
April 14, 2013
With gun control, murder, and race much in the news, it’s worth noting that the Obama Administration has solved its longstanding problem that, according to the federal Bureau of Justice Statistics, blacks commit the majority of homicides in the US.
For years, the press has been explaining that more gun control is necessary to keep white men from killing everybody. For example, last Friday the Washington Post featured an opinion article that began:
Imagine if African American men and boys were committing mass shootings month after month, year after year. Articles and interviews would flood the media, and we’d have political debates demanding that African Americans be “held accountable.”
FULL STORY>>
For years, the press has been explaining that more gun control is necessary to keep white men from killing everybody. For example, last Friday the Washington Post featured an opinion article that began:
Imagine if African American men and boys were committing mass shootings month after month, year after year. Articles and interviews would flood the media, and we’d have political debates demanding that African Americans be “held accountable.”
FULL STORY>>
Chaos, Catastrophe, Curtilage, and Custard
April 14, 2013
by John Derbyshire
A great lady passes ─ Gang of Eight seals America’s fate ─ Sessions
for President! ─ Gun rights on the curtilage thereof ─ He shot the
sheriff ─ Anthony Weiner, bulging with ambition ─ The $PLC “hate”
racket ─ A noble nation shamefully insulted ─ Eat your damn custard,
kid.
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN>>
by John Derbyshire
 |
| Gang of Eight |
for President! ─ Gun rights on the curtilage thereof ─ He shot the
sheriff ─ Anthony Weiner, bulging with ambition ─ The $PLC “hate”
racket ─ A noble nation shamefully insulted ─ Eat your damn custard,
kid.
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN>>
FIREARM VIOLATION???
April 14, 2013
Nevermind the name, the fact that the gun was loaded, or EVEN the fact that the serial # was missing...
Observation Point #1: WHY and HOW was the gun LEGALLY confiscated from his home?
Observation Point #2: WHEN was a Pennsylvania state LAW against possessing a loaded firearm INSIDE YOUR OWN HOME passed?
MANHEIM TWP.: Hector M. Gonzalez III, 28, of Janet Avenue, was charged after a loaded handgun with an obliterated serial number was found in his residence April 1, police said.
SOURCE: Lancaster Online Police Log
Nevermind the name, the fact that the gun was loaded, or EVEN the fact that the serial # was missing...
Observation Point #1: WHY and HOW was the gun LEGALLY confiscated from his home?
Observation Point #2: WHEN was a Pennsylvania state LAW against possessing a loaded firearm INSIDE YOUR OWN HOME passed?
MANHEIM TWP.: Hector M. Gonzalez III, 28, of Janet Avenue, was charged after a loaded handgun with an obliterated serial number was found in his residence April 1, police said.
SOURCE: Lancaster Online Police Log
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)