Arizona's Sheriff Joe Arpaio's Officers Turn in Credentials
Jail officers working for Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio handed in their federal credentials during a news conference in Phoenix Wednesday, a day before civil rights attorneys will be in federal court to seek a ruling in a lawsuit that alleges Arpaio systematically discriminated against Latino residents in conducting traffic patrols and so-called "crime suppression sweeps.".
Arpaio's office organized the public turning-in of the badges after ICE rescinded their authority to run immigration checks on inmates. Speaking at the news conference, Arpaio said he was holding the federal government to its promise to send 50 federal agents to do such screening in his jail, but predicted that there will be undocumented immigrants in jail who won't be deported and will be put back on streets.
"I want to see how many agents are going to be coming to our jail," the sheriff said. "I want to see how long it will take for 50 agents from across the country to work in our jails."
The Department of Homeland Security announced Dec. 15 that more than 90 of Arpaio's Maricopa County jail officers could no longer check whether inmates were undocumented immigrants.
The decision followed the release of a scathing Department of Justice report that said Arpaio's office has a pattern of racially profiling Latinos, basing immigration enforcement on racially charged citizen complaints and punishing Latino jail inmates for speaking Spanish. The sheriff has denied the allegations.
Homeland Security officials had no immediate comment on Arpaio's comments on Wednesday, but later pointed to a Dec. 21 letter that Immigration and Customs Enforcement sent to a county official, saying federal agents will staff the county's jails on a 24-hour, seven-day-a-week basis and that immigrants who pose public safety threats will be taken into federal custody and won't be released, Morton said in the letter.
On Monday, the agency said in a letter to U.S. Sen. Jon Kyl that it would send immigration agents to screen jail inmates in Arizona's most populous county. Arpaio's aides say only one Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer has worked at the county jails since last week.
Homeland Security's decision wasn't the first time Arpaio's federal immigration powers were cut.
In October 2009, Immigration and Customs Enforcement stripped Arpaio of his power to let 100 deputies make federal immigration arrests, but still allowed his jail officers to determine the immigration status of people in jail.
Based on reporting by the Associated Press and EFE.
Read more: http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/news/2011/12/22/arizonas-sheriff-joe-arpaios-officers-turn-in-badges/#ixzz1hO0VO4NG
Friday, December 23, 2011
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Made In America
ONE LABEL AT A TIME
A physics teacher in high school, once told the students that while one grasshopper on the railroad tracks wouldn't slow a train very much, a billion of them would. With that thought in mind, read the following, obviously written by a good American . . .
This probably sounds crazy, but just yesterday I was in Wal Mart looking for a wastebasket. I found some made in China for $6.99. I didn't want to pay that much so I asked the lady if they had any others. She took me to another department and they had some at $2.50 made in USA . They are just as good.
Same as a kitchen rug I needed. I had to look, but I found some made in the USA and they were $3.00 cheaper. We are being brain washed that everything that comes from China and Mexico is cheaper. Not so. That is also why I don't buy cards at Hallmark anymore. They are made in China and are expensive. I buy them at Dollar Tree....50 cents each and made in USA .
Check this out. I can verify this because I was in Lowe's the other day for some reason and just for the heck of it I was looking at the hose attachments... They were all made in China . The next day I was in Ace Hardware and just for the heck of it I checked the hose attachments there. They were made in USA . Start looking...
In our current economic situation, every little thing we buy or do affects someone else - even their job. So, after reading this email, I think this lady is on the right track.. Let's get behind her!
My grandson likes Hershey's candy. I noticed, though, that it is marked made in Mexico now. I do not buy it any more.
My favorite toothpaste Colgate is made in Mexico . Now I have switched to Crest. You have to read the labels on everything.
Good idea . . . One label at a time . . .
This past weekend I was at Kroger. I needed 60W light bulbs and Bounce dryer sheets. I was in the light bulb aisle, and right next to the GE brand I normally buy was an off-brand labeled, " Everyday Value." I picked up both types of bulbs and compared the stats. They were the same except for the price. The GE bulbs were more money than the Everyday Value brand but the thing that surprised me the most was the fact that GE was made in MEXICO and the Everyday Value brand was made in - get ready for this - the USA in a company in Cleveland , Ohio .
So throw out the myth that you cannot find products you use every day that are made right here.
So on to another aisle - Bounce Dryer Sheets. Yep, you guessed it, Bounce cost more money and is made in Canada . The Everyday Value brand was less money and MADE IN THE USA! I did laundry yesterday and the dryer sheets performed just like the Bounce Free I have been using for years and at almost half the price!
My challenge to you is to start reading the labels when you shop for everyday things and see what you can find that is made in the USA - the job you save may be your own or your neighbors!
If you accept the challenge, pass this on to others in your address book so we can all start buying American, one label at a time! Stop buying from overseas companies!
(We should have awakened a decade ago....)
Let's get with the program and help our fellow Americans keep their jobs and create more jobs here in the USA .
A physics teacher in high school, once told the students that while one grasshopper on the railroad tracks wouldn't slow a train very much, a billion of them would. With that thought in mind, read the following, obviously written by a good American . . .
This probably sounds crazy, but just yesterday I was in Wal Mart looking for a wastebasket. I found some made in China for $6.99. I didn't want to pay that much so I asked the lady if they had any others. She took me to another department and they had some at $2.50 made in USA . They are just as good.
Same as a kitchen rug I needed. I had to look, but I found some made in the USA and they were $3.00 cheaper. We are being brain washed that everything that comes from China and Mexico is cheaper. Not so. That is also why I don't buy cards at Hallmark anymore. They are made in China and are expensive. I buy them at Dollar Tree....50 cents each and made in USA .
Check this out. I can verify this because I was in Lowe's the other day for some reason and just for the heck of it I was looking at the hose attachments... They were all made in China . The next day I was in Ace Hardware and just for the heck of it I checked the hose attachments there. They were made in USA . Start looking...
In our current economic situation, every little thing we buy or do affects someone else - even their job. So, after reading this email, I think this lady is on the right track.. Let's get behind her!
My grandson likes Hershey's candy. I noticed, though, that it is marked made in Mexico now. I do not buy it any more.
My favorite toothpaste Colgate is made in Mexico . Now I have switched to Crest. You have to read the labels on everything.
Good idea . . . One label at a time . . .
This past weekend I was at Kroger. I needed 60W light bulbs and Bounce dryer sheets. I was in the light bulb aisle, and right next to the GE brand I normally buy was an off-brand labeled, " Everyday Value." I picked up both types of bulbs and compared the stats. They were the same except for the price. The GE bulbs were more money than the Everyday Value brand but the thing that surprised me the most was the fact that GE was made in MEXICO and the Everyday Value brand was made in - get ready for this - the USA in a company in Cleveland , Ohio .
So throw out the myth that you cannot find products you use every day that are made right here.
So on to another aisle - Bounce Dryer Sheets. Yep, you guessed it, Bounce cost more money and is made in Canada . The Everyday Value brand was less money and MADE IN THE USA! I did laundry yesterday and the dryer sheets performed just like the Bounce Free I have been using for years and at almost half the price!
My challenge to you is to start reading the labels when you shop for everyday things and see what you can find that is made in the USA - the job you save may be your own or your neighbors!
If you accept the challenge, pass this on to others in your address book so we can all start buying American, one label at a time! Stop buying from overseas companies!
(We should have awakened a decade ago....)
Let's get with the program and help our fellow Americans keep their jobs and create more jobs here in the USA .
Monday, December 19, 2011
Dan Lungren Questions Paul Stackton
Assistant Defense Secretary for Homeland Defense
Wednesday December 7, Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.) and Sen. Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn.) opened a hearing to examine the emerging threat to the military from homegrown terrorists within the U.S. and named the armed services as the "most sought-after" target for radical Islamist extremist groups.
Rep. Dan Lungren (R.-Calif.) asked Paul Stockton, assistant defense secretary for homeland defense, whether "we are at war with violent Islamist extremism."
Mr. Stockton’s responses would be downright comedic if they didn’t tragically demonstrate the shocking denial of jihadism at our highest levels of our government.
Wednesday December 7, Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.) and Sen. Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn.) opened a hearing to examine the emerging threat to the military from homegrown terrorists within the U.S. and named the armed services as the "most sought-after" target for radical Islamist extremist groups.
Rep. Dan Lungren (R.-Calif.) asked Paul Stockton, assistant defense secretary for homeland defense, whether "we are at war with violent Islamist extremism."
Mr. Stockton’s responses would be downright comedic if they didn’t tragically demonstrate the shocking denial of jihadism at our highest levels of our government.
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Arpaio Attacked BY DHS
Sheriff Arpaio has recently launched an investigation into whether Barack Obama's place on the 2008 Arizona Presidential Election Ballot was legal.
Feds Go After Arpaio For Civil Rights Violations
Thursday, 15 Dec 2011 12:06 PM
PHOENIX — The Department of Homeland Security is cutting ties with Joe Arpaio, the Arizona sheriff accused of a wide range of civil right violations, effectively stripping him of the ability to enforce immigration laws.
Secretary Janet Napolitano said Thursday the department is ending an agreement with the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office that allowed trained deputies to enforce immigration laws.
It's also restricting the office's use of the Secure Communities program, which uses fingerprints collected in local jails to identify illegal immigrants.
Napolitano's announcement came shortly after the U.S. Justice Department released a scathing report accusing Arpaio and his office of committing a wide range of civil rights violations against Latinos. Justice Department investigators said the abuses included a pattern of racial profiling.
The Justice Department also accused Arpaio's office of a pattern of discrimination and carrying out heavy-handed immigration patrols based on racially charged citizen complaints.
The report is a result of the department's three-year investigation of Arpaio's office amid complaints of racial profiling and a culture of bias at the agency's top level.
The Justice Department's conclusions in the civil probe mark the federal government's harshest rebuke of a national political fixture who has risen to prominence for his immigration crackdowns and became a coveted endorsement among candidates in the GOP presidential field.
Apart from the civil rights probe, a federal grand jury also has been investigating Arpaio's office on criminal abuse-of-power allegations since at least December 2009 and is specifically examining the investigative work of the sheriff's anti-public-corruption squad.
The civil rights report said federal authorities will continue to investigate complaints of deputies using excessive force against Latinos, whether the sheriff's immigration efforts damage trust with the Hispanic community, and a large number of sex-crimes cases that were assigned to the agency but weren't followed up on or investigated at all.
The report took the Sheriff's Office to task for launching immigration patrols, known as "sweeps," based on complaints that Latinos were merely gathering near a business without committing crimes. Federal authorities single out Arpaio specifically and said his office, known as MCSO, has no clear policies to guard against the violations, even after he changed some top aides earlier this year.
"Arpaio's own actions have helped nurture MCSO's culture of bias," wrote Thomas Perez, who heads the Justice Department's civil rights division, adding that the sheriff frequently gave racially charged letters to some of his top aides and saved them in his own files.
The report will require Arpaio to set up effective policies against discrimination, improve training and make other changes that would be monitored for compliance by a judge. Arpaio faces a Jan. 4 deadline for saying whether he wants to work out an agreement. If not, the federal government will sue him.
Arpaio has long denied the racial profiling allegation, saying people are stopped if deputies have probable cause to believe they have committed crimes and that deputies later find many of them are illegal immigrants.
Arpaio has built his reputation on jailing inmates in tents and dressing them in pink underwear, endearing himself to voters as unceasingly tough on crime and pushing the bounds of how far local police can go to confront illegal immigration.
The report also said Arpaio and some top staffers tried to silence people who have spoken out against the Sheriff's Office by arresting people without cause, filing meritless lawsuits against opponents and starting investigations of critics.
One example cited by the Justice Department is former top Arpaio aide David Hendershott, who filed bar complaints against attorneys critical of the agency along with bringing judicial complaints against judges who were at odds with the sheriff. All complaints were dismissed.
The anti-corruption squad's cases against two county officials and a judge collapsed in court before going to trial and have been criticized as trumped up by politicians at odds with the sheriff. Arpaio has defended the investigations as a valid attempt at rooting out corruption in county government.
The civil rights report said Latinos are four to nine times more likely to be stopped in traffic stops in Maricopa County than non-Latinos and that the agency's immigration policies treat Latinos as if they are all in the country illegally. Deputies on the immigrant-smuggling squad stop and arrest Latino drivers without good cause, the investigation found.
A review done as part of the investigation found that 20 percent of traffic reports handled by Arpaio's immigrant-smuggling squad from March 2006 to March 2009 were stops — almost all involving Latino drivers — that were done without reasonable suspicion. The squad's stops rarely led to smuggling arrests.
Deputies are encouraged to make high-volume traffic stops in targeted locations. There were Latinos who were in the United States legally who were arrested or detained without cause during the sweeps, according to the report.
During the sweeps, deputies flood an area of a city — in some cases, heavily Latino areas — over several days to seek out traffic violators and arrest other offenders. Illegal immigrants accounted for 57 percent of the 1,500 people arrested in the 20 sweeps conducted by his office since January 2008, according to figures provided by Arpaio's office.
Police supervisors, including at least one smuggling-squad supervisor, often used county accounts to send emails that demeaned Latinos to fellow sheriff's managers, deputies and volunteers in the sheriff's posse. One such email had a photo of a mock driver's license for a fictional state called "Mexifornia."
The report said that the Sheriff's Office launched an immigration operation two weeks after the sheriff received a letter in August 2009 about a person's dismay over employees of a McDonald's in the Phoenix suburb of Sun City who didn't speak English. The tip laid out no criminal allegations. The sheriff wrote back to thank the writer "for the info," said he would look into it and forwarded it to a top aide with a note of "for our operation."
Federal investigators focused heavily on the language barriers in Arpaio's jails.
Latino inmates with limited English skills were punished for failing to understand commands in English by being put in solitary confinement for up to 23 hours a day, and prisoners were kept locked down in their jail pods for as long as 72 hours without a trip to the canteen area.
The report said some jail officers used racial slurs for Latinos when talking among themselves and speaking to inmates.
Detention officers refused to accept forms requesting basic daily services and reporting mistreatment when the documents were completed in Spanish, and pressured Latinos with limited English skills to sign forms that curb their legal rights, without language assistance.
The agency pressures Latinos with limited English skills to sign forms by yelling at them and keeping them in uncomfortably cold cells for long periods of time.
The Justice Department said it hadn't yet established a pattern of alleged wrongdoing by the Sheriff's Office in the three areas where they will continue to investigation: complaints of excessive force against Latinos, botched sex-crimes cases and immigration efforts that have hurt the agency's trust with the Hispanic community.
Federal authorities will continue to investigate whether the Sheriff's Office has limited the willingness of witnesses and victims to report crimes or talk to Arpaio's office.
"MCSO has done almost nothing to build such a relationship with Mariciopa County's Latino residents," Perez wrote.
Feds Go After Arpaio For Civil Rights Violations
Thursday, 15 Dec 2011 12:06 PM
PHOENIX — The Department of Homeland Security is cutting ties with Joe Arpaio, the Arizona sheriff accused of a wide range of civil right violations, effectively stripping him of the ability to enforce immigration laws.
Secretary Janet Napolitano said Thursday the department is ending an agreement with the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office that allowed trained deputies to enforce immigration laws.
It's also restricting the office's use of the Secure Communities program, which uses fingerprints collected in local jails to identify illegal immigrants.
Napolitano's announcement came shortly after the U.S. Justice Department released a scathing report accusing Arpaio and his office of committing a wide range of civil rights violations against Latinos. Justice Department investigators said the abuses included a pattern of racial profiling.
The Justice Department also accused Arpaio's office of a pattern of discrimination and carrying out heavy-handed immigration patrols based on racially charged citizen complaints.
The report is a result of the department's three-year investigation of Arpaio's office amid complaints of racial profiling and a culture of bias at the agency's top level.
The Justice Department's conclusions in the civil probe mark the federal government's harshest rebuke of a national political fixture who has risen to prominence for his immigration crackdowns and became a coveted endorsement among candidates in the GOP presidential field.
Apart from the civil rights probe, a federal grand jury also has been investigating Arpaio's office on criminal abuse-of-power allegations since at least December 2009 and is specifically examining the investigative work of the sheriff's anti-public-corruption squad.
The civil rights report said federal authorities will continue to investigate complaints of deputies using excessive force against Latinos, whether the sheriff's immigration efforts damage trust with the Hispanic community, and a large number of sex-crimes cases that were assigned to the agency but weren't followed up on or investigated at all.
The report took the Sheriff's Office to task for launching immigration patrols, known as "sweeps," based on complaints that Latinos were merely gathering near a business without committing crimes. Federal authorities single out Arpaio specifically and said his office, known as MCSO, has no clear policies to guard against the violations, even after he changed some top aides earlier this year.
"Arpaio's own actions have helped nurture MCSO's culture of bias," wrote Thomas Perez, who heads the Justice Department's civil rights division, adding that the sheriff frequently gave racially charged letters to some of his top aides and saved them in his own files.
The report will require Arpaio to set up effective policies against discrimination, improve training and make other changes that would be monitored for compliance by a judge. Arpaio faces a Jan. 4 deadline for saying whether he wants to work out an agreement. If not, the federal government will sue him.
Arpaio has long denied the racial profiling allegation, saying people are stopped if deputies have probable cause to believe they have committed crimes and that deputies later find many of them are illegal immigrants.
Arpaio has built his reputation on jailing inmates in tents and dressing them in pink underwear, endearing himself to voters as unceasingly tough on crime and pushing the bounds of how far local police can go to confront illegal immigration.
The report also said Arpaio and some top staffers tried to silence people who have spoken out against the Sheriff's Office by arresting people without cause, filing meritless lawsuits against opponents and starting investigations of critics.
One example cited by the Justice Department is former top Arpaio aide David Hendershott, who filed bar complaints against attorneys critical of the agency along with bringing judicial complaints against judges who were at odds with the sheriff. All complaints were dismissed.
The anti-corruption squad's cases against two county officials and a judge collapsed in court before going to trial and have been criticized as trumped up by politicians at odds with the sheriff. Arpaio has defended the investigations as a valid attempt at rooting out corruption in county government.
The civil rights report said Latinos are four to nine times more likely to be stopped in traffic stops in Maricopa County than non-Latinos and that the agency's immigration policies treat Latinos as if they are all in the country illegally. Deputies on the immigrant-smuggling squad stop and arrest Latino drivers without good cause, the investigation found.
A review done as part of the investigation found that 20 percent of traffic reports handled by Arpaio's immigrant-smuggling squad from March 2006 to March 2009 were stops — almost all involving Latino drivers — that were done without reasonable suspicion. The squad's stops rarely led to smuggling arrests.
Deputies are encouraged to make high-volume traffic stops in targeted locations. There were Latinos who were in the United States legally who were arrested or detained without cause during the sweeps, according to the report.
During the sweeps, deputies flood an area of a city — in some cases, heavily Latino areas — over several days to seek out traffic violators and arrest other offenders. Illegal immigrants accounted for 57 percent of the 1,500 people arrested in the 20 sweeps conducted by his office since January 2008, according to figures provided by Arpaio's office.
Police supervisors, including at least one smuggling-squad supervisor, often used county accounts to send emails that demeaned Latinos to fellow sheriff's managers, deputies and volunteers in the sheriff's posse. One such email had a photo of a mock driver's license for a fictional state called "Mexifornia."
The report said that the Sheriff's Office launched an immigration operation two weeks after the sheriff received a letter in August 2009 about a person's dismay over employees of a McDonald's in the Phoenix suburb of Sun City who didn't speak English. The tip laid out no criminal allegations. The sheriff wrote back to thank the writer "for the info," said he would look into it and forwarded it to a top aide with a note of "for our operation."
Federal investigators focused heavily on the language barriers in Arpaio's jails.
Latino inmates with limited English skills were punished for failing to understand commands in English by being put in solitary confinement for up to 23 hours a day, and prisoners were kept locked down in their jail pods for as long as 72 hours without a trip to the canteen area.
The report said some jail officers used racial slurs for Latinos when talking among themselves and speaking to inmates.
Detention officers refused to accept forms requesting basic daily services and reporting mistreatment when the documents were completed in Spanish, and pressured Latinos with limited English skills to sign forms that curb their legal rights, without language assistance.
The agency pressures Latinos with limited English skills to sign forms by yelling at them and keeping them in uncomfortably cold cells for long periods of time.
The Justice Department said it hadn't yet established a pattern of alleged wrongdoing by the Sheriff's Office in the three areas where they will continue to investigation: complaints of excessive force against Latinos, botched sex-crimes cases and immigration efforts that have hurt the agency's trust with the Hispanic community.
Federal authorities will continue to investigate whether the Sheriff's Office has limited the willingness of witnesses and victims to report crimes or talk to Arpaio's office.
"MCSO has done almost nothing to build such a relationship with Mariciopa County's Latino residents," Perez wrote.
Should Illegals Vote?
CT MAYOR WANTS ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS TO VOTE
New Haven Mayor John DeStefano will petition the Connecticut legislature to allow illegal immigrants to vote in municipal elections. According to local sources, about 10,000 foreign nationals live in the city. DeStefano claims that illegal aliens pay taxes through their rent payments and therefore should be able to vote.
New Haven has long been considered a ‘sanctuary city’ since it began issuing ID cards to illegal immigrants allowing them easier access to public services in 2007. If the measure should pass, New Haven will join Chicago and several towns in Maryland which allow foreign nationals to vote in municipal elections.
ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT CHARGED IN TX MIDDLE SCHOOL SHOOTING
Hidalgo County sheriff’s deputies arrested an illegal immigrant on Monday after a shooting at a local middle school left two students injured. According to Sheriff Lupe Trevino, stray bullets hit two teenage boys who were attending basketball tryouts. The suspect, who has only been identified as an illegal immigrant, was discovered in the woods just north of the school reportedly armed with an AR-15 assault rifle, which he was using to illegally hunt on private lands.
So far, the suspect has been charged with poaching, trespassing and illegal use of a firearm, but more charges could be forthcoming. The victims (ages 13 and 14) remain in stable condition.
New Haven Mayor John DeStefano will petition the Connecticut legislature to allow illegal immigrants to vote in municipal elections. According to local sources, about 10,000 foreign nationals live in the city. DeStefano claims that illegal aliens pay taxes through their rent payments and therefore should be able to vote.
New Haven has long been considered a ‘sanctuary city’ since it began issuing ID cards to illegal immigrants allowing them easier access to public services in 2007. If the measure should pass, New Haven will join Chicago and several towns in Maryland which allow foreign nationals to vote in municipal elections.
ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT CHARGED IN TX MIDDLE SCHOOL SHOOTING
Hidalgo County sheriff’s deputies arrested an illegal immigrant on Monday after a shooting at a local middle school left two students injured. According to Sheriff Lupe Trevino, stray bullets hit two teenage boys who were attending basketball tryouts. The suspect, who has only been identified as an illegal immigrant, was discovered in the woods just north of the school reportedly armed with an AR-15 assault rifle, which he was using to illegally hunt on private lands.
So far, the suspect has been charged with poaching, trespassing and illegal use of a firearm, but more charges could be forthcoming. The victims (ages 13 and 14) remain in stable condition.
Grey Brigade
Grey-Haired Brigade
They like to refer to us as senior citizens, old fogies, geezers, and in some cases dinosaurs. Some of us are "Baby Boomers" getting ready to retire. Others have been retired for some time. We walk a little slower these days and our eyes and hearing are not what they once were.
We have worked hard, raised our children, worshiped our God and grown old together. Yes, we are the ones some refer to as being over the hill, and that is probably true. But before writing us off completely, there are a few things that need to be taken into consideration.
In school we studied English, history, math, and science which enabled us to lead America into the technological age. Most of us remember what outhouses were, many of us with firsthand experience. We remember the days of telephone party-lines, 25 cent gasoline, and milk and ice being delivered to our homes. For those of you who don't know what an icebox is, today they are electric and referred to as refrigerators. A few even remember when cars were started with a crank. Yes, we lived those days.
We are probably considered old fashioned and out-dated by many. But there are a few things you need to remember before completely writing us off. We won World War II, fought in Korea and Viet Nam . We can quote The Pledge of Allegiance, and know where to place our hand while doing so. We wore the uniform of our country with pride and lost many friends on the battlefield.
We didn't fight for the Socialist States of America , we fought for the "Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave." We wore different uniforms but carried the same flag. We know the words to the S tar Spangled Banner , America , and America the Beautiful by heart, and you may even see some tears running down our cheeks as we sing.
We have lived what many of you have only read about in history books and we feel no obligation to apologize to anyone for America . Yes, we are old and slow these days but rest assured, we have at least one good fight left in us. We have loved this country, fought for it, and died for it, and now we are going to save it It is our country and nobody is going to take it away from us. We took oaths to defend America against all enemies, foreign and domestic, and that is an oath we plan to keep. There are those who want to destroy this land we love but, like our founders, there is no way we are going to remain silent.
It was the young people of this nation who elected Obama and the Democratic Congress. You fell for the "Hope and Change" which in reality was nothing but "Hype and Lies." You have tasted socialism and seen evil face to face, and have found you don't like it after all. You make a lot of noise, but most are all too interested in their careers or "Climbing the Social Ladder" to be involved in such mundane things as patriotism and voting. Many of those who fell for the "Great Lie" in 2008 are now having buyer's remorse.
With all the education we gave you, you didn't have sense enough to see through the lies and instead drank the 'Kool-Aid.' Now you're paying the price and complaining about it. No jobs, lost mortgages, higher taxes, and less freedom. This is what you voted for and this is what you got. We entrusted you with the Torch of Liberty and you traded it for a paycheck and a fancy house.
Well, don't worry youngsters, the Grey Haired Brigade is here, and in 2012 we are going to take back our nation. We may drive a little slower than you would like but we get where we're going, and in 2012 we're going to the polls by the millions. This land does not belong to the man in the White House nor to the likes of Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid. It belongs to "We the People" and "We the People" plan to reclaim our land and our freedom. We hope this time you will do a better job of preserving it and passing it along to our grandchildren.
So the next time you have the chance to say the Pledge of Allegiance, Stand up, put your hand over your heart, honor our country, and thank God for the old geezers of the "Grey-Haired Brigade."
~Author, Anon. Grey-Haired Brigade Member
They like to refer to us as senior citizens, old fogies, geezers, and in some cases dinosaurs. Some of us are "Baby Boomers" getting ready to retire. Others have been retired for some time. We walk a little slower these days and our eyes and hearing are not what they once were.
We have worked hard, raised our children, worshiped our God and grown old together. Yes, we are the ones some refer to as being over the hill, and that is probably true. But before writing us off completely, there are a few things that need to be taken into consideration.
In school we studied English, history, math, and science which enabled us to lead America into the technological age. Most of us remember what outhouses were, many of us with firsthand experience. We remember the days of telephone party-lines, 25 cent gasoline, and milk and ice being delivered to our homes. For those of you who don't know what an icebox is, today they are electric and referred to as refrigerators. A few even remember when cars were started with a crank. Yes, we lived those days.
We are probably considered old fashioned and out-dated by many. But there are a few things you need to remember before completely writing us off. We won World War II, fought in Korea and Viet Nam . We can quote The Pledge of Allegiance, and know where to place our hand while doing so. We wore the uniform of our country with pride and lost many friends on the battlefield.
We didn't fight for the Socialist States of America , we fought for the "Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave." We wore different uniforms but carried the same flag. We know the words to the S tar Spangled Banner , America , and America the Beautiful by heart, and you may even see some tears running down our cheeks as we sing.
We have lived what many of you have only read about in history books and we feel no obligation to apologize to anyone for America . Yes, we are old and slow these days but rest assured, we have at least one good fight left in us. We have loved this country, fought for it, and died for it, and now we are going to save it It is our country and nobody is going to take it away from us. We took oaths to defend America against all enemies, foreign and domestic, and that is an oath we plan to keep. There are those who want to destroy this land we love but, like our founders, there is no way we are going to remain silent.
It was the young people of this nation who elected Obama and the Democratic Congress. You fell for the "Hope and Change" which in reality was nothing but "Hype and Lies." You have tasted socialism and seen evil face to face, and have found you don't like it after all. You make a lot of noise, but most are all too interested in their careers or "Climbing the Social Ladder" to be involved in such mundane things as patriotism and voting. Many of those who fell for the "Great Lie" in 2008 are now having buyer's remorse.
With all the education we gave you, you didn't have sense enough to see through the lies and instead drank the 'Kool-Aid.' Now you're paying the price and complaining about it. No jobs, lost mortgages, higher taxes, and less freedom. This is what you voted for and this is what you got. We entrusted you with the Torch of Liberty and you traded it for a paycheck and a fancy house.
Well, don't worry youngsters, the Grey Haired Brigade is here, and in 2012 we are going to take back our nation. We may drive a little slower than you would like but we get where we're going, and in 2012 we're going to the polls by the millions. This land does not belong to the man in the White House nor to the likes of Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid. It belongs to "We the People" and "We the People" plan to reclaim our land and our freedom. We hope this time you will do a better job of preserving it and passing it along to our grandchildren.
So the next time you have the chance to say the Pledge of Allegiance, Stand up, put your hand over your heart, honor our country, and thank God for the old geezers of the "Grey-Haired Brigade."
~Author, Anon. Grey-Haired Brigade Member
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Chinese Iranian Squeeze Play?
China's Hu Reportedly Tells Navy to Get Ready for Military Combat
Published December 13, 2011
As tensions grow over local maritime disputes and U.S. influence in the South China Sea, China’s president said Tuesday that its navy should “make extended preparations for military combat,” the AFP reported.
President Hu Jintao told the Central Military Commission its navy should modernize in the interest of national security.
The Chinese navy has grown in recent years from a coastal protection force to one spanning the globe, sending ships as far as the Caribbean on goodwill missions and into the Mediterranean to escort vessels evacuating Chinese citizens from the fighting in Libya.
China said it is considering an offer from the Seychelles to host Chinese naval ships in the Indian Ocean island nation, highlighting the increasing global reach of a navy that recently launched its first aircraft carrier.
The navy also began sea trials in August for its first aircraft carrier, the former Soviet Varyag, towed from Ukraine in 1998 minus its engines, weaponry and navigation systems. China says the carrier is intended for research and training, leading to speculation that it plans to build future copies.
China's military expansion and strong assertions of claims to disputed territory have raised regional concerns, prompting many of China's neighbors to strengthen ties with the U.S. military that has traditionally predominated in the Asia Pacific.
While Beijing has tried to assuage those concerns, it has also asserted its claims with patrols and other physical displays, and on Tuesday dispatched its largest coast guard cutter to the East China Sea.
The 322-foot Haijian will visit Chinese rock outcroppings as well as a gas field claimed by China and Japan. There was no indication it planned to visit other islands that Japan controls but China claims.
George Little, a Pentagon spokesman, downplayed Hu’s comments, saying China has the right to develop its military, according to the report. But he went on to say China should be transparent in the process.
"We have repeatedly called for transparency from the Chinese and that's part of the relationship we're continuing to build with the Chinese military," Little said, according to the report.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Iranian Official Threatens Military Drill Sealing Off the Strait of Hormuz
Published December 13, 2011
A high-ranking Iranian official has said Iran's military will practice sealing off the Strait of Hormuz, the world’s most important oil transport channel, in a provocative move that illustrates Iran’s capability of disrupting the world’s oil supply.
The announcement Monday by Parviz Sarvari sent oil prices up about $3 to $100 a barrel based on the speculation of a disruption during the military drills, Bloomberg reported.
“Soon we will hold a military maneuver on how to close the Strait of Hormuz,” Sarvari, a member of the Iranian parliament’s National Security Committee, said in a statement reported by Reuters. “If the world wants to make the region insecure, we will make the world insecure.”
Iran has long used the threat of disrupting oil production as a main military deterrent, a sort of economic missile in its silo.
Although Sarvari did not name a specific country making the region insecure, though diplomatic tensions between the U.S. and Iran have been on the rise recently over the U.S. drone that went down in Iran.
Pentagon Spokesman Doug Wilson responded by saying although he has no information on the exercises, the United States government is committed to the free and safe passage in international waters and anything that interferes with that would be "detrimental."
The report of the planned exercise in the Strait of Hormuz is the latest example of Iranian provocation. In September, Iran’s navy laid out plans to move naval vessels out of the Persian Gulf and into the Atlantic Ocean “near maritime borders of the United States,” the Tehran Times reported.
Iran also has faced international pressure for it's nuclear program. Iran insists the program is for peaceful uses, but in November, the International Atomic Energy Agency issued a report that Tehran has conducted secret experiments whose sole purpose is the development of atomic weapons. Iran denies that charge.
About 15.5 million barrels of oil a day, about a sixth of global consumption, flows through the Strait of Hormuz, Bloomberg reported, citing the U.S. Department of Energy.
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2011/12/13/iranian-official-threatens-military-drill-sealing-off-strait-hormuz/#ixzz1gWf6H2k1
Published December 13, 2011
As tensions grow over local maritime disputes and U.S. influence in the South China Sea, China’s president said Tuesday that its navy should “make extended preparations for military combat,” the AFP reported.
President Hu Jintao told the Central Military Commission its navy should modernize in the interest of national security.
The Chinese navy has grown in recent years from a coastal protection force to one spanning the globe, sending ships as far as the Caribbean on goodwill missions and into the Mediterranean to escort vessels evacuating Chinese citizens from the fighting in Libya.
China said it is considering an offer from the Seychelles to host Chinese naval ships in the Indian Ocean island nation, highlighting the increasing global reach of a navy that recently launched its first aircraft carrier.
The navy also began sea trials in August for its first aircraft carrier, the former Soviet Varyag, towed from Ukraine in 1998 minus its engines, weaponry and navigation systems. China says the carrier is intended for research and training, leading to speculation that it plans to build future copies.
China's military expansion and strong assertions of claims to disputed territory have raised regional concerns, prompting many of China's neighbors to strengthen ties with the U.S. military that has traditionally predominated in the Asia Pacific.
While Beijing has tried to assuage those concerns, it has also asserted its claims with patrols and other physical displays, and on Tuesday dispatched its largest coast guard cutter to the East China Sea.
The 322-foot Haijian will visit Chinese rock outcroppings as well as a gas field claimed by China and Japan. There was no indication it planned to visit other islands that Japan controls but China claims.
George Little, a Pentagon spokesman, downplayed Hu’s comments, saying China has the right to develop its military, according to the report. But he went on to say China should be transparent in the process.
"We have repeatedly called for transparency from the Chinese and that's part of the relationship we're continuing to build with the Chinese military," Little said, according to the report.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Iranian Official Threatens Military Drill Sealing Off the Strait of Hormuz
Published December 13, 2011
A high-ranking Iranian official has said Iran's military will practice sealing off the Strait of Hormuz, the world’s most important oil transport channel, in a provocative move that illustrates Iran’s capability of disrupting the world’s oil supply.
The announcement Monday by Parviz Sarvari sent oil prices up about $3 to $100 a barrel based on the speculation of a disruption during the military drills, Bloomberg reported.
“Soon we will hold a military maneuver on how to close the Strait of Hormuz,” Sarvari, a member of the Iranian parliament’s National Security Committee, said in a statement reported by Reuters. “If the world wants to make the region insecure, we will make the world insecure.”
Iran has long used the threat of disrupting oil production as a main military deterrent, a sort of economic missile in its silo.
Although Sarvari did not name a specific country making the region insecure, though diplomatic tensions between the U.S. and Iran have been on the rise recently over the U.S. drone that went down in Iran.
Pentagon Spokesman Doug Wilson responded by saying although he has no information on the exercises, the United States government is committed to the free and safe passage in international waters and anything that interferes with that would be "detrimental."
The report of the planned exercise in the Strait of Hormuz is the latest example of Iranian provocation. In September, Iran’s navy laid out plans to move naval vessels out of the Persian Gulf and into the Atlantic Ocean “near maritime borders of the United States,” the Tehran Times reported.
Iran also has faced international pressure for it's nuclear program. Iran insists the program is for peaceful uses, but in November, the International Atomic Energy Agency issued a report that Tehran has conducted secret experiments whose sole purpose is the development of atomic weapons. Iran denies that charge.
About 15.5 million barrels of oil a day, about a sixth of global consumption, flows through the Strait of Hormuz, Bloomberg reported, citing the U.S. Department of Energy.
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2011/12/13/iranian-official-threatens-military-drill-sealing-off-strait-hormuz/#ixzz1gWf6H2k1
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Texas Professor Slandered Over Lecture On Islam
A grave injustice has occurred at Tarrant County College in Texas. If this situation is allowed to stand, it sets a bizarre precedent for future attacks on an increasingly rare breed: truthful college professors!
Read the following account from Professor Paul Derengowski:
My name is Paul Derengowski, and I was hired by Tarrant County College in 2008 to teach Great World Religions, Bible History I & II, and Introduction to Philosophy.
On November 8, 2011, I gave the second of a two-part lecture on Islam, as I've been doing Spring, Fall, and sometimes twice in the Summer, dealing with Islamic history and doctrine, and more particularly Muhammad's move to Medina. A question had been raised by two Muslim students in the previous the lecture concerning the sources I used to discuss the raid at Nakhlah. At the start of the second lecture I provided my sources (The Life of Muhammad by Haykal and the Qur'an), which included reading Sura 2:216-217. That is when all hell broke loose.
Both Muslim students, for an hour, berated me, my sources, and my credentials. When other students in the class attempted to ask questions or make comments, then the Muslim students would interrupt them as well. Finally, toward the end of the class period, a student made a comment on how "scary" the person of Muhammad seemed to be. That's when the male Muslim blurted out "you ought to be scared," and then bolted for the door in a fit of outrage. I subsequently filed a campus police report on him out of concern for the safety of students and myself. The female followed suit as well, claiming later in a libelous email she passed around unbeknownst to me—that is, until one of the students forwarded the diatribe to me later—that she was not going to sit there and listen to me slander her religion, even though all I did was quote from Islamic sources.
It was the libelous email that really started the wheels in motion leading up to my resignation. The female Muslim student not only stealthily sent around the email to all the rest of the students in the class to (1) defame me behind my back, but also to (2) try and gather support for her reckless behavior. She ended up with zero support from anyone. In it she made the same baseless claims of slandering Islam, but included some selective quotes from a couple of Mormon bloggers who had done what she was doing, and that is malign me in a malicious way, as well as a portion of blog I had written in 2009 on the Abdulmuttalab idiot who tried to blow up the plane over Detroit.
Both Muslim students then turned to TCC administration to make their specious complaints. The sad thing is, as if what these students did was not sad enough, is that the administration kowtowed to them, called me in and questioned everything from my syllabus (which was already approved and essentially the same ever since 2008) to my motives for teaching, to the banner on my website dealing with Islam. I was informed that I was to teach "neutral" in my views on religion, my opinions and insights were not welcome, that the remainder of my syllabus would be nixed, and that I was to strictly abide by the department approved book (which in reality, I was the one who even selected it for the course). None of the other students were called in and questioned as to what happened. After a veiled threat concerning my employment for failure to abide by the neutrality mandate, I subsequently resigned.
Since my resignation on Nov. 15, I've received several letters of support from the remaining students, as well as notes of encouragement from past students for standing my ground. There are currently, at least, three grievances that have been filed by the students in the class with the administration, yet the administration continues to drag its feet. It has done NOTHING! TCC administration claims that an investigation is ongoing, but no one has ever been spoken to on the matter.
As of today, I've been interviewed by CBS, FOX, KLIF-Dallas, and The Collegian, as well as have several of my students, but as much as I appreciate some of the effort, the two Muslim students have gone unscathed in this whole matter. Grades have been overturned in their favor, which is a clear violation of TCC policy, as well as another slap in my face for acting in an appropriate manner when students are insubordinate, and they've been allowed to return to class, without repercussion, while several of the students in the class are now suffering discrimination, disrespect, forfeiture of return on money invested by their companies for taking certain classes, and lower grades. It is truly a despicable thing the TCC administration has allowed at what I termed a "terroristic act of jihad."
This is the Cliff Notes version of what has transpired. There are many more details and the story only keeps getting uglier. I hope this helps you to understand just a little of what has gone on, and is going on, these past weeks, as the "religion of peace" and its followers wreak havoc once again upon American soil, education, and freedom.
If you need to speak to me directly, you may contact me at apologetics@capro.info. Thank you.
After reading the account above, please call to register your “respectful outrage” to the office of the President of the Southeast Campus:
President Bill Coppola
Phone: 817-515-3001
Read the following account from Professor Paul Derengowski:
My name is Paul Derengowski, and I was hired by Tarrant County College in 2008 to teach Great World Religions, Bible History I & II, and Introduction to Philosophy.
On November 8, 2011, I gave the second of a two-part lecture on Islam, as I've been doing Spring, Fall, and sometimes twice in the Summer, dealing with Islamic history and doctrine, and more particularly Muhammad's move to Medina. A question had been raised by two Muslim students in the previous the lecture concerning the sources I used to discuss the raid at Nakhlah. At the start of the second lecture I provided my sources (The Life of Muhammad by Haykal and the Qur'an), which included reading Sura 2:216-217. That is when all hell broke loose.
Both Muslim students, for an hour, berated me, my sources, and my credentials. When other students in the class attempted to ask questions or make comments, then the Muslim students would interrupt them as well. Finally, toward the end of the class period, a student made a comment on how "scary" the person of Muhammad seemed to be. That's when the male Muslim blurted out "you ought to be scared," and then bolted for the door in a fit of outrage. I subsequently filed a campus police report on him out of concern for the safety of students and myself. The female followed suit as well, claiming later in a libelous email she passed around unbeknownst to me—that is, until one of the students forwarded the diatribe to me later—that she was not going to sit there and listen to me slander her religion, even though all I did was quote from Islamic sources.
It was the libelous email that really started the wheels in motion leading up to my resignation. The female Muslim student not only stealthily sent around the email to all the rest of the students in the class to (1) defame me behind my back, but also to (2) try and gather support for her reckless behavior. She ended up with zero support from anyone. In it she made the same baseless claims of slandering Islam, but included some selective quotes from a couple of Mormon bloggers who had done what she was doing, and that is malign me in a malicious way, as well as a portion of blog I had written in 2009 on the Abdulmuttalab idiot who tried to blow up the plane over Detroit.
Both Muslim students then turned to TCC administration to make their specious complaints. The sad thing is, as if what these students did was not sad enough, is that the administration kowtowed to them, called me in and questioned everything from my syllabus (which was already approved and essentially the same ever since 2008) to my motives for teaching, to the banner on my website dealing with Islam. I was informed that I was to teach "neutral" in my views on religion, my opinions and insights were not welcome, that the remainder of my syllabus would be nixed, and that I was to strictly abide by the department approved book (which in reality, I was the one who even selected it for the course). None of the other students were called in and questioned as to what happened. After a veiled threat concerning my employment for failure to abide by the neutrality mandate, I subsequently resigned.
Since my resignation on Nov. 15, I've received several letters of support from the remaining students, as well as notes of encouragement from past students for standing my ground. There are currently, at least, three grievances that have been filed by the students in the class with the administration, yet the administration continues to drag its feet. It has done NOTHING! TCC administration claims that an investigation is ongoing, but no one has ever been spoken to on the matter.
As of today, I've been interviewed by CBS, FOX, KLIF-Dallas, and The Collegian, as well as have several of my students, but as much as I appreciate some of the effort, the two Muslim students have gone unscathed in this whole matter. Grades have been overturned in their favor, which is a clear violation of TCC policy, as well as another slap in my face for acting in an appropriate manner when students are insubordinate, and they've been allowed to return to class, without repercussion, while several of the students in the class are now suffering discrimination, disrespect, forfeiture of return on money invested by their companies for taking certain classes, and lower grades. It is truly a despicable thing the TCC administration has allowed at what I termed a "terroristic act of jihad."
This is the Cliff Notes version of what has transpired. There are many more details and the story only keeps getting uglier. I hope this helps you to understand just a little of what has gone on, and is going on, these past weeks, as the "religion of peace" and its followers wreak havoc once again upon American soil, education, and freedom.
If you need to speak to me directly, you may contact me at apologetics@capro.info. Thank you.
After reading the account above, please call to register your “respectful outrage” to the office of the President of the Southeast Campus:
President Bill Coppola
Phone: 817-515-3001
Border Patrol Unmanned Crossing: What's Wrong With This Picture
BORDER PATROL CONSTRUCTING UNMANNED BORDER CROSSING
In an attempt ‘to upgrade security’ along the U.S.-Mexico border, federal authorities are proposing an unmanned border crossing in a rugged, remote area of West Texas where illegal immigrants easily wade across the shallow Rio Grande on a regular basis. Electronic port of entry kiosks allowing anyone crossing into our country to scan their identity documents, if they want, and talk to a customs officer at least 100 miles away, could be open as soon as this spring in Big Bend National Park. Proponents of this absurdity argue that it will allow the tiny Mexican town of Boquillas del Carmen access to U.S. commerce.
If approved, the Border Patrol will have just eight agents living in the 800,000-acre national park in addition to the park’s 23 law enforcement officers. The project to grant easier cross-border access for a Mexican town with less than 100 individuals will cost U.S. taxpayers an estimated $2.3 million. Now, how's that for money well-spent?
JUSTICE KAGAN RECUSES HERSELF FROM CASE INVOLVING AZ IMMIGRATION LAW
The Supreme Court agreed yesterday to review the 9th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in San Francisco’s ruling that blocked several tough provisions in the Arizona law. Among those blocked, is the provision requiring police officers, while enforcing other laws, to question a person’s immigration status if he or she is suspected to be in the country illegally. The Obama administration immediately challenged the Arizona law when it was scheduled to go into effect arguing that regulating immigration is the job of the federal government, not individual states. The Obama administration has filed similar lawsuits against Alabama, South Carolina and Utah while private groups are suing over immigration measures adopted in Georgia and Alabama. Thankfully, Justice Elena Kagan has recused herself from the Arizona case because of her work on the issue when she served in the Justice Department. Arguments will probably take place in late April, giving the court roughly two months to make a decision.
In an attempt ‘to upgrade security’ along the U.S.-Mexico border, federal authorities are proposing an unmanned border crossing in a rugged, remote area of West Texas where illegal immigrants easily wade across the shallow Rio Grande on a regular basis. Electronic port of entry kiosks allowing anyone crossing into our country to scan their identity documents, if they want, and talk to a customs officer at least 100 miles away, could be open as soon as this spring in Big Bend National Park. Proponents of this absurdity argue that it will allow the tiny Mexican town of Boquillas del Carmen access to U.S. commerce.
If approved, the Border Patrol will have just eight agents living in the 800,000-acre national park in addition to the park’s 23 law enforcement officers. The project to grant easier cross-border access for a Mexican town with less than 100 individuals will cost U.S. taxpayers an estimated $2.3 million. Now, how's that for money well-spent?
JUSTICE KAGAN RECUSES HERSELF FROM CASE INVOLVING AZ IMMIGRATION LAW
The Supreme Court agreed yesterday to review the 9th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in San Francisco’s ruling that blocked several tough provisions in the Arizona law. Among those blocked, is the provision requiring police officers, while enforcing other laws, to question a person’s immigration status if he or she is suspected to be in the country illegally. The Obama administration immediately challenged the Arizona law when it was scheduled to go into effect arguing that regulating immigration is the job of the federal government, not individual states. The Obama administration has filed similar lawsuits against Alabama, South Carolina and Utah while private groups are suing over immigration measures adopted in Georgia and Alabama. Thankfully, Justice Elena Kagan has recused herself from the Arizona case because of her work on the issue when she served in the Justice Department. Arguments will probably take place in late April, giving the court roughly two months to make a decision.
Monday, December 12, 2011
Saturday, December 10, 2011
Arpaio Threatened
Arpaio gets death threats over Obama investigation
Warned he 'will be filled with thousand bullet holes'
Posted: December 08, 2011
12:35 am Eastern
By Jerome R. Corsi
© 2011 WND
Maverick Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio says his "Cold Case Posse" investigating Barack Obama's presidential eligibility will release a preliminary report in February of its findings, which he expects to be "controversial."
"This is a serious law enforcement investigation, and our findings are going to be controversial but based in facts," the Maricopa County sheriff told WND. Arpaio said a comprehensive report will be issued shortly after the February preliminary report.
"The investigators on the Cold Case Posse are doing a great job," Arpaio told WND. "They are all law enforcement professionals, and they are all volunteers putting in a lot of hours at no taxpayer expense."
Arpaio confirmed that the Obama investigation has broadened beyond an examination of whether or not the birth certificate made public by the White House on April 27 is an authentic document. The probe, he said, is examining Obama's history in regard to his eligibility to be president under Article 2, Section 1 of the U.S. Constitution.
"We are not taking the Obama investigation lightly," Arpaio said. "The Cold Case Posse is actively tracking down all leads received, because the people deserve to know the truth."
Arpaio's investigative team has amassed hundreds of pages of documentation and taken testimony from dozens of experts in preparation for a final phase of field investigation
On Tuesday, Arpaio posted on his Facebook page a reference to a Globe Magazine report citing inside sources in the White House who say President Obama and the First Lady are in "a panic" over the Maricopa County investigation.
The reaction to Arpaio's posting indicates public interest in the probe is high, despite relatively little coverage by establishment media.
Since Tuesday, Arpaio's Facebook posting has received more than 7,900 "like this" clicks from readers, 780 shares and over 1,700 comments.
Arpaio also continues to receive messages of a different sort, with numerous death threats arriving at his office for his decision to investigate Obama's eligibility.
"I plan to kill Joe Arpaio first," read one particularly ominous death threat. "He will be filled with a thousand bullet holes before the year is out. I promise you this – Arpaio won't **** with Obama."
Maricopa County Deputy Chief David Trombi told WND that all death threats are being thoroughly investigated, with the intent to hold the culprits legally responsible for their actions.
"We can't take the risk of ignoring a threat, regardless how wild or crazy the threat may appear," Trombi said.
Arpaio, who has built a national reputation as a tough enforcer of Arizona's immigration laws, is no stranger to death threats.
"The threats regarding the Obama investigation may set a new standard for partisanship, but they are nothing new," Trombi said. "Four separate Mexican drug cartels have placed bounties totaling $4 million on his head. That's about as serious as you can get, and the sheriff has had to live with this for years."
Arpaio, nevertheless, is determined to bring the Obama investigation to a successful conclusion.
"The American people deserve to know the truth about Obama," Arpaio said. "We are a major law enforcement agency – one of the largest in the nation – and we have at our disposal investigative tools not generally available, even to the top private investigator in the country. We don't plan to stop until we discover the truth."
Those wishing to contribute to the 501(c)3 supporting the Cold Case Posse investigation may send tax-deductible donations to the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office at: MCSO Cold Case Posse, P.O. Box 74374, Phoenix, Ariz., 85087.
SOURCE: Arpaio gets death threats over Obama investigation http://www.wnd.com/?pageId=375329#ixzz1fyrFDDJu
This information is provided by PURE PURSUIT INTELLIGENCE CENTER, as a service to Military and Air Defense Communities with the purpose of offering relevant and timely information on (open source) defense, aviation, emergency, law enforcement and terrorism issues. Posts may be forwarded to other individuals, organizations and lists for non-commercial purposes. This list is now closed. For more information please write to Nena Wiley at CoyoteArz@aol.com
Warned he 'will be filled with thousand bullet holes'
Posted: December 08, 2011
12:35 am Eastern
By Jerome R. Corsi
© 2011 WND
Maverick Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio says his "Cold Case Posse" investigating Barack Obama's presidential eligibility will release a preliminary report in February of its findings, which he expects to be "controversial."
"This is a serious law enforcement investigation, and our findings are going to be controversial but based in facts," the Maricopa County sheriff told WND. Arpaio said a comprehensive report will be issued shortly after the February preliminary report.
"The investigators on the Cold Case Posse are doing a great job," Arpaio told WND. "They are all law enforcement professionals, and they are all volunteers putting in a lot of hours at no taxpayer expense."
Arpaio confirmed that the Obama investigation has broadened beyond an examination of whether or not the birth certificate made public by the White House on April 27 is an authentic document. The probe, he said, is examining Obama's history in regard to his eligibility to be president under Article 2, Section 1 of the U.S. Constitution.
"We are not taking the Obama investigation lightly," Arpaio said. "The Cold Case Posse is actively tracking down all leads received, because the people deserve to know the truth."
Arpaio's investigative team has amassed hundreds of pages of documentation and taken testimony from dozens of experts in preparation for a final phase of field investigation
On Tuesday, Arpaio posted on his Facebook page a reference to a Globe Magazine report citing inside sources in the White House who say President Obama and the First Lady are in "a panic" over the Maricopa County investigation.
The reaction to Arpaio's posting indicates public interest in the probe is high, despite relatively little coverage by establishment media.
Since Tuesday, Arpaio's Facebook posting has received more than 7,900 "like this" clicks from readers, 780 shares and over 1,700 comments.
Arpaio also continues to receive messages of a different sort, with numerous death threats arriving at his office for his decision to investigate Obama's eligibility.
"I plan to kill Joe Arpaio first," read one particularly ominous death threat. "He will be filled with a thousand bullet holes before the year is out. I promise you this – Arpaio won't **** with Obama."
Maricopa County Deputy Chief David Trombi told WND that all death threats are being thoroughly investigated, with the intent to hold the culprits legally responsible for their actions.
"We can't take the risk of ignoring a threat, regardless how wild or crazy the threat may appear," Trombi said.
Arpaio, who has built a national reputation as a tough enforcer of Arizona's immigration laws, is no stranger to death threats.
"The threats regarding the Obama investigation may set a new standard for partisanship, but they are nothing new," Trombi said. "Four separate Mexican drug cartels have placed bounties totaling $4 million on his head. That's about as serious as you can get, and the sheriff has had to live with this for years."
Arpaio, nevertheless, is determined to bring the Obama investigation to a successful conclusion.
"The American people deserve to know the truth about Obama," Arpaio said. "We are a major law enforcement agency – one of the largest in the nation – and we have at our disposal investigative tools not generally available, even to the top private investigator in the country. We don't plan to stop until we discover the truth."
Those wishing to contribute to the 501(c)3 supporting the Cold Case Posse investigation may send tax-deductible donations to the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office at: MCSO Cold Case Posse, P.O. Box 74374, Phoenix, Ariz., 85087.
SOURCE: Arpaio gets death threats over Obama investigation http://www.wnd.com/?pageId=375329#ixzz1fyrFDDJu
This information is provided by PURE PURSUIT INTELLIGENCE CENTER, as a service to Military and Air Defense Communities with the purpose of offering relevant and timely information on (open source) defense, aviation, emergency, law enforcement and terrorism issues. Posts may be forwarded to other individuals, organizations and lists for non-commercial purposes. This list is now closed. For more information please write to Nena Wiley at CoyoteArz@aol.com
Friday, December 09, 2011
The Truth About Refugees
WORLD
ISRAELI DEPUTY FOREIGN MINISTER BLASTS UN AGENCY ON ‘THE TRUTH’ ABOUT PALESTINIAN REFUGEES
Posted on December 9, 2011 at 9:27am by Sharona Schwartz
In a new YouTube video called “The Truth About the Refugees,” Israel’s Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon takes a sharp look at the Palestinian refugee problem, and blasts the UN agency tasked with aiding them and their descendants. Ayalon asks:
Why after more than 60 years are the Arab-Palestinian refugees still not welcomed and absorbed among their own brethren? And how could their numbers have grown from 500,000 to 4.7 million? The sad reality is that Palestinian refugees never had a chance. Attempts at resettlement were blocked by a variety of discriminatory laws enacted in Arab countries such as: a ban on receiving citizenship – with the exception of Jordan; blocking them from entering many professions; restrictions on owning land; restrictions on movement…
From Israel’s perspective, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, or UNRWA, with the encouragement of Arab states, has engaged in a highly political mission to perpetuate the refugee problem rather than finding a dignified solution for those living 63 years in substandard housing that is clearly no longer “temporary.” Ayalon quotes a former UNRWA director in Jordan Sir Alexander Galloway who said:
…the Arab nations do not want to solve the Arab refugee problem. They want to keep it as an open sore…as a weapon against Israel.”
He also asks why the UN formed an entirely separate bureaucracy to aid Palestinian refugees, when all other refugees are handled by the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR):
The answer is, because while the United Nations’ central refugee agency helps refugees resettle, the United Nations Palestinian refugee agency helps perpetuate their status by applying unique criteria…Refugees lose their status after receiving citizenship from a recognized country – Palestinians do not. Refugees cannot transmit their status from generation to generation. Palestinian refugees can.
Arab states are all too willing to obstruct any livable arrangement for these mostly impoverished Palestinians by withholding citizenship, preventing moves to more adequate dwellings, and feeding the dream of their future “return” to their purported homes in Israel. Homes, it should be added, that many never actually saw since they were born years after the 1948 and 1967 Arab-Israeli wars.
Now, even their grandchildren and great-grandchildren are granted refugee status by UNRWA and are daily fed the myth Israelis will eventually, after a violent struggle, vacate their homes leading to a so-called “return” of those who weren’t even born in 1948.
Instead of encouraging the refugees to move forward with their lives constructively, UNRWA – ceding to Arab state policies – has set up a massive bureaucracy predicated on handouts to the poor and perpetuating the problem, rather than acknowledging reality and allowing them to attempt financially-independent lives.
Ayalon explains in his video that there were more Jewish refugees – 850,000 – forced from Arab states than the estimated 500,000 Arabs who fled their homes in 1948. Also by contrast, the Jews were allowed to build free lives in Israel and were never granted refugee status. Ayalon is himself the son of a Jew who was forced to leave Algeria.
Ayalon’s first two videos on the Israeli-Palestinian peace process and the West Bank went viral. The Israeli Foreign Ministry hopes this one will also be widely viewed, offering the public a perspective not widely disseminated by the mainstream media, which like UNRWA tends to report on the issue without pointing to the basic logical complication – how can someone who was born decades after an armed conflict be considered a refugee?
Fast And Furious
HOLDER SCOLDS CONGRESS FOR ‘INAPPROPRIATE RHETORIC’
During yesterday’s testimony before Congress, Attorney General Eric Holder said that more violent crimes could result from his department’s “deeply flawed” botched gun-running program known as Operation Fast and Furious.
According to Holder, “Guns lost during this operation will continue to show up at crimes scenes on both sides of the border.”
He also used his time before Congress to scold them for their ‘inappropriate rhetoric’ used during the investigation led by the House Oversight and Investigations Committee. So far, 53 members of Congress have called on Holder to resign.
MARICOPA ARREST DEMONSTRATES INCREDIBLE LACK OF BORDER SECURITY
On Monday, Maricopa County Sheriff’s deputies arrested five illegal immigrants, one of whom had already been deported an astonishing 14 times.
The group was headed to Arkansas and Georgia and reportedly each paid between $1,500 and $2,000 each to a human smuggling ring before being arrested during a routine traffic stop. Juan Ramos-Alegria, the driver of the vehicle, had been last deported just one week earlier when he was sent back to Mexico from Colorado.
During yesterday’s testimony before Congress, Attorney General Eric Holder said that more violent crimes could result from his department’s “deeply flawed” botched gun-running program known as Operation Fast and Furious.
According to Holder, “Guns lost during this operation will continue to show up at crimes scenes on both sides of the border.”
He also used his time before Congress to scold them for their ‘inappropriate rhetoric’ used during the investigation led by the House Oversight and Investigations Committee. So far, 53 members of Congress have called on Holder to resign.
MARICOPA ARREST DEMONSTRATES INCREDIBLE LACK OF BORDER SECURITY
On Monday, Maricopa County Sheriff’s deputies arrested five illegal immigrants, one of whom had already been deported an astonishing 14 times.
The group was headed to Arkansas and Georgia and reportedly each paid between $1,500 and $2,000 each to a human smuggling ring before being arrested during a routine traffic stop. Juan Ramos-Alegria, the driver of the vehicle, had been last deported just one week earlier when he was sent back to Mexico from Colorado.
Tuesday, December 06, 2011
Newt? Again? Really?
Newt Gingrich
Newt is an American politician who served as the 58th Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1995 to 1999. He represented Georgia's 6th congressional district as a Republican from 1979 until his resignation in 1999. He is a candidate for the Republican nomination in the 2012 U.S. presidential election.
Born and raised near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Gingrich attended Emory University and received his Ph.D. from Tulane University. In the 1970s he taught history and geography at West Georgia College. During this period he mounted several races for the United States House of Representatives, before winning the election of November 1978. He served as the House Minority Whip from 1989 to 1995.
A co-author and architect of the Contract with America, Gingrich was in the forefront of Republican Party success in the 1994 congressional election. In 1995, Time magazine named him "Man of the Year" for his role in ending 40 years of majority rule by the Democratic Party. During his four years as House speaker, Gingrich sometimes opposed President Bill Clinton, but he also worked closely with Clinton in 1996 to limit public welfare; in 1997 to pass a capital gains tax cut; and in 1998 to pass the first balanced budget since 1969. He was disciplined in January 1997 by the House of Representatives for ethics accusations, although a full hearing was avoided.
In the late 1990s, Gingrich began an affair with House of Representatives staffer Callista Bisek. They continued their affair during the Lewinsky scandal, when Gingrich launched the investigation of President Clinton for obstruction of justice in connection with his alleged affairs. Gingrich resigned from the House on November 5, 1998, three days after being elected to his 11th term. He had "been a lightning rod for controversy ever since he steered his party to the majority in 1994 and took control of the speaker's gavel".
Eighty-four ethics charges were filed against Speaker Gingrich during his term, including claiming tax-exempt status for a college course run for political purposes. Following an investigation by the House Ethics Committee Gingrich was sanctioned US$300,000. Gingrich acknowledged in January 1997 that "In my name and over my signature, inaccurate, incomplete and unreliable statements were given to the committee". The House Ethics Committee concluded that inaccurate information supplied to investigators represented "intentional or ... reckless" disregard of House rules. Special Counsel James M. Cole concluded that Gingrich violated federal tax law and had lied to the ethics panel in an effort to force the committee to dismiss the complaint against him. The full committee panel did not agree whether tax law had been violated and left that issue up to the IRS. In 1999, the IRS cleared the organizations connected with the "Renewing American Civilization" courses under investigation for possible tax violations.
In the summer of 1997 several House Republicans, who saw Gingrich's public image as a liability, attempted to replace him as Speaker. The attempted "coup" began July 9 with a meeting of Republican conference chairman John Boehner of Ohio and Republican leadership chairman Bill Paxon of New York. According to their plan, House Majority Leader Dick Armey, House Majority Whip Tom DeLay, Boehner and Paxon were to present Gingrich with an ultimatum: resign, or be voted out. However, Armey balked at the proposal to make Paxon the new Speaker, and told his chief of staff to warn Gingrich about the attempted coup.
On July 11, Gingrich met with senior Republican leadership to assess the situation. He explained that under no circumstance would he step down. If he was voted out, there would be a new election for Speaker, which would allow for the possibility that Democrats—along with dissenting Republicans—would vote in Dick Gephardt as Speaker. On July 16, Paxon offered to resign his post, feeling that he had not handled the situation correctly, as the only member of the leadership who had been appointed to his position—by Gingrich—instead of elected.
Republicans lost five seats in the House in the 1998 elections—the worst midterm performance in 64 years for a party that didn't hold the presidency. Polls showed that Gingrich and the Republican Party's attempt to remove President Clinton from office was deeply unpopular among voters. Gingrich suffered much of the blame for the election loss. Facing a rebellion in the Republican caucus, he announced on November 5, 1998 that he would not only stand down as Speaker, but would leave the House as well. Gingrich made this announcement only a day after being elected to an 11th term from his district. Commenting on his departure, Gingrich said, "I'm willing to lead but I'm not willing to preside over people who are cannibals. My only fear would be that if I tried to stay, it would just overshadow whoever my successor is."
Between 2005 and 2007, Gingrich expressed interest in running for the 2008 Republican presidential nomination. On October 13, 2005, Gingrich suggested he was considering a run for president, saying, "There are circumstances where I will run", elaborating that those circumstances would be if no other candidate champions some of the platform ideas he advocates. On September 28, 2007, Gingrich announced that if his supporters pledged $30 million to his campaign (until October 21), he would seek the nomination.
However, insisting that he had "pretty strongly" considered running, on September 29 spokesman Rick Tyler said that Gingrich would not seek the presidency in 2008 because he could not continue to serve as chairman of American Solutions if he did so. Citing campaign finance law restrictions (the McCain-Feingold campaign law would have forced him to leave his American Solutions political organization if he declared his candidacy), Gingrich said, "I wasn't prepared to abandon American Solutions, even to explore whether a campaign was realistic."
During the 2009 special election in New York's 23rd congressional district, Gingrich endorsed moderate Republican candidate Dede Scozzafava, rather than Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman, who had been endorsed by several nationally prominent Republicans. He was heavily criticized for this endorsement, with conservatives questioning his candidacy for President in 2012 and even comparing him to Benedict Arnold, a traitor during America's War of Independence. Gingrich has since regretted his decision.
Gingrich has been married three times. In 1962, he married Jackie Battley, his former high school geometry teacher, when he was 19 years old and she was 26. Gingrich and Battley have two daughters from this marriage: Kathy Gingrich Lubbers is president of Gingrich Communications, and Jackie Gingrich Cushman is an author, conservative columnist, and political commentator whose books include 5 Principles for a Successful Life, co-authored with Newt Gingrich.[ In the spring of 1980, Gingrich left Battley after having an affair with Marianne Ginther. In 1984, Battley told the Washington Post that the divorce was a "complete surprise" to her. According to Battley, in September 1980, Gingrich and their children visited her while she was in the hospital, recovering from surgery, and Gingrich wanted to discuss the terms of their divorce. Gingrich has disputed that account. In 2011, their daughter, Jackie Gingrich Cushman, said that it was her mother who requested the divorce, that it happened prior to the hospital stay, and that Gingrich's visit was for the purpose of bringing the couple's children to see their mother, not to discuss the divorce.
According to L.H. Carter, his campaign treasurer, Gingrich said of Battley: "She's not young enough or pretty enough to be the wife of the President. And besides, she has cancer." Gingrich has denied saying it. His supporters dismiss Carter as a disgruntled former aide who was miffed at not being asked to accompany Gingrich to Washington.
Six months after the divorce from Battley was final, Gingrich wed Marianne Ginther in 1981. In the mid-1990s, Gingrich began an affair with House of Representatives staffer Callista Bisek, who is 23 years his junior. They continued their affair during the Lewinsky scandal, when Gingrich became a leader of the investigation of President Clinton for perjury and obstruction of justice in connection with his alleged affairs. In 2000, Gingrich married Bisek shortly after his divorce from second wife Ginther. He and Callista currently live in McLean, Virginia. In a 2011 interview with David Brody of the Christian Broadcasting Network Gingrich addressed his past infidelities by saying, "There's no question at times in my life, partially driven by how passionately I felt about this country, that I worked too hard and things happened in my life that were not appropriate."
A Southern Baptist since graduate school, Gingrich converted to Catholicism, Bisek's faith, on March 29, 2009. He said "over the course of several years, I gradually became Catholic and then decided one day to accept the faith I had already come to embrace." The moment when he decided to officially become a Catholic was when he saw Pope Benedict XVI on his visit to the United States in 2008: "Catching a glimpse of Pope Benedict that day, I was struck by the happiness and peacefulness he exuded. The joyful and radiating presence of the Holy Father was a moment of confirmation about the many things I had been thinking and experiencing for several years." Gingrich has stated that he has developed a greater appreciation for the role of faith in public life following his conversion, and believes that the United States has become too secular. At a 2011 appearance in Columbus, Ohio, he said, "In America, religious belief is being challenged by a cultural elite trying to create a secularized America, in which God is driven out of public life."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newt_Gingrich
Newt is an American politician who served as the 58th Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1995 to 1999. He represented Georgia's 6th congressional district as a Republican from 1979 until his resignation in 1999. He is a candidate for the Republican nomination in the 2012 U.S. presidential election.
Born and raised near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Gingrich attended Emory University and received his Ph.D. from Tulane University. In the 1970s he taught history and geography at West Georgia College. During this period he mounted several races for the United States House of Representatives, before winning the election of November 1978. He served as the House Minority Whip from 1989 to 1995.
A co-author and architect of the Contract with America, Gingrich was in the forefront of Republican Party success in the 1994 congressional election. In 1995, Time magazine named him "Man of the Year" for his role in ending 40 years of majority rule by the Democratic Party. During his four years as House speaker, Gingrich sometimes opposed President Bill Clinton, but he also worked closely with Clinton in 1996 to limit public welfare; in 1997 to pass a capital gains tax cut; and in 1998 to pass the first balanced budget since 1969. He was disciplined in January 1997 by the House of Representatives for ethics accusations, although a full hearing was avoided.
In the late 1990s, Gingrich began an affair with House of Representatives staffer Callista Bisek. They continued their affair during the Lewinsky scandal, when Gingrich launched the investigation of President Clinton for obstruction of justice in connection with his alleged affairs. Gingrich resigned from the House on November 5, 1998, three days after being elected to his 11th term. He had "been a lightning rod for controversy ever since he steered his party to the majority in 1994 and took control of the speaker's gavel".
Eighty-four ethics charges were filed against Speaker Gingrich during his term, including claiming tax-exempt status for a college course run for political purposes. Following an investigation by the House Ethics Committee Gingrich was sanctioned US$300,000. Gingrich acknowledged in January 1997 that "In my name and over my signature, inaccurate, incomplete and unreliable statements were given to the committee". The House Ethics Committee concluded that inaccurate information supplied to investigators represented "intentional or ... reckless" disregard of House rules. Special Counsel James M. Cole concluded that Gingrich violated federal tax law and had lied to the ethics panel in an effort to force the committee to dismiss the complaint against him. The full committee panel did not agree whether tax law had been violated and left that issue up to the IRS. In 1999, the IRS cleared the organizations connected with the "Renewing American Civilization" courses under investigation for possible tax violations.
In the summer of 1997 several House Republicans, who saw Gingrich's public image as a liability, attempted to replace him as Speaker. The attempted "coup" began July 9 with a meeting of Republican conference chairman John Boehner of Ohio and Republican leadership chairman Bill Paxon of New York. According to their plan, House Majority Leader Dick Armey, House Majority Whip Tom DeLay, Boehner and Paxon were to present Gingrich with an ultimatum: resign, or be voted out. However, Armey balked at the proposal to make Paxon the new Speaker, and told his chief of staff to warn Gingrich about the attempted coup.
On July 11, Gingrich met with senior Republican leadership to assess the situation. He explained that under no circumstance would he step down. If he was voted out, there would be a new election for Speaker, which would allow for the possibility that Democrats—along with dissenting Republicans—would vote in Dick Gephardt as Speaker. On July 16, Paxon offered to resign his post, feeling that he had not handled the situation correctly, as the only member of the leadership who had been appointed to his position—by Gingrich—instead of elected.
Republicans lost five seats in the House in the 1998 elections—the worst midterm performance in 64 years for a party that didn't hold the presidency. Polls showed that Gingrich and the Republican Party's attempt to remove President Clinton from office was deeply unpopular among voters. Gingrich suffered much of the blame for the election loss. Facing a rebellion in the Republican caucus, he announced on November 5, 1998 that he would not only stand down as Speaker, but would leave the House as well. Gingrich made this announcement only a day after being elected to an 11th term from his district. Commenting on his departure, Gingrich said, "I'm willing to lead but I'm not willing to preside over people who are cannibals. My only fear would be that if I tried to stay, it would just overshadow whoever my successor is."
Between 2005 and 2007, Gingrich expressed interest in running for the 2008 Republican presidential nomination. On October 13, 2005, Gingrich suggested he was considering a run for president, saying, "There are circumstances where I will run", elaborating that those circumstances would be if no other candidate champions some of the platform ideas he advocates. On September 28, 2007, Gingrich announced that if his supporters pledged $30 million to his campaign (until October 21), he would seek the nomination.
However, insisting that he had "pretty strongly" considered running, on September 29 spokesman Rick Tyler said that Gingrich would not seek the presidency in 2008 because he could not continue to serve as chairman of American Solutions if he did so. Citing campaign finance law restrictions (the McCain-Feingold campaign law would have forced him to leave his American Solutions political organization if he declared his candidacy), Gingrich said, "I wasn't prepared to abandon American Solutions, even to explore whether a campaign was realistic."
During the 2009 special election in New York's 23rd congressional district, Gingrich endorsed moderate Republican candidate Dede Scozzafava, rather than Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman, who had been endorsed by several nationally prominent Republicans. He was heavily criticized for this endorsement, with conservatives questioning his candidacy for President in 2012 and even comparing him to Benedict Arnold, a traitor during America's War of Independence. Gingrich has since regretted his decision.
Gingrich has been married three times. In 1962, he married Jackie Battley, his former high school geometry teacher, when he was 19 years old and she was 26. Gingrich and Battley have two daughters from this marriage: Kathy Gingrich Lubbers is president of Gingrich Communications, and Jackie Gingrich Cushman is an author, conservative columnist, and political commentator whose books include 5 Principles for a Successful Life, co-authored with Newt Gingrich.[ In the spring of 1980, Gingrich left Battley after having an affair with Marianne Ginther. In 1984, Battley told the Washington Post that the divorce was a "complete surprise" to her. According to Battley, in September 1980, Gingrich and their children visited her while she was in the hospital, recovering from surgery, and Gingrich wanted to discuss the terms of their divorce. Gingrich has disputed that account. In 2011, their daughter, Jackie Gingrich Cushman, said that it was her mother who requested the divorce, that it happened prior to the hospital stay, and that Gingrich's visit was for the purpose of bringing the couple's children to see their mother, not to discuss the divorce.
According to L.H. Carter, his campaign treasurer, Gingrich said of Battley: "She's not young enough or pretty enough to be the wife of the President. And besides, she has cancer." Gingrich has denied saying it. His supporters dismiss Carter as a disgruntled former aide who was miffed at not being asked to accompany Gingrich to Washington.
Six months after the divorce from Battley was final, Gingrich wed Marianne Ginther in 1981. In the mid-1990s, Gingrich began an affair with House of Representatives staffer Callista Bisek, who is 23 years his junior. They continued their affair during the Lewinsky scandal, when Gingrich became a leader of the investigation of President Clinton for perjury and obstruction of justice in connection with his alleged affairs. In 2000, Gingrich married Bisek shortly after his divorce from second wife Ginther. He and Callista currently live in McLean, Virginia. In a 2011 interview with David Brody of the Christian Broadcasting Network Gingrich addressed his past infidelities by saying, "There's no question at times in my life, partially driven by how passionately I felt about this country, that I worked too hard and things happened in my life that were not appropriate."
A Southern Baptist since graduate school, Gingrich converted to Catholicism, Bisek's faith, on March 29, 2009. He said "over the course of several years, I gradually became Catholic and then decided one day to accept the faith I had already come to embrace." The moment when he decided to officially become a Catholic was when he saw Pope Benedict XVI on his visit to the United States in 2008: "Catching a glimpse of Pope Benedict that day, I was struck by the happiness and peacefulness he exuded. The joyful and radiating presence of the Holy Father was a moment of confirmation about the many things I had been thinking and experiencing for several years." Gingrich has stated that he has developed a greater appreciation for the role of faith in public life following his conversion, and believes that the United States has become too secular. At a 2011 appearance in Columbus, Ohio, he said, "In America, religious belief is being challenged by a cultural elite trying to create a secularized America, in which God is driven out of public life."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newt_Gingrich
Europe Voices Negative Attitude Towards Islam
Negative attitudes towards Islam on the rise in Europe
A recent study in Europe found that half of Europeans now believe Islam is a religion of intolerance (see story below).
This is revealing, because for decades European countries and Great Britain have bent over backwards to accommodate Muslim immigrants and increasingly unreasonable demands from Islamic leaders and organizations.
Pushback by Europeans has resulted in the Swiss passage of a referendum banning the construction of minarets and the growing strength of Geert Wilders’ political party in the Netherlands.
It appears that, as more and more Europeans have seen the intolerance of radical Islam, they are understandably reacting negatively to that intolerance.
This is what leaders like German Chancellor Angela Merkel and British Prime Minister David Cameron were referring to last year when they said, speaking of Muslim immigration, that “multiculturalism” had failed. Cameron went so far as to say it was time to stop being tolerant of intolerance.
The same trend is happening in America, with polls showing negative attitudes towards Islam on the rise. From the Ground Zero Mosque controversy to the rise of homegrown terrorism, Americans are waking up to the threat of radical Islam.
Groups like CAIR and ISNA will continue to claim this is all about worldwide Islamophobia. They claim that people have negative views of Islam because they aren’t exposed to “genuine” Islam.
But the mounting evidence argues that the more people in the West are exposed to Islam, the less they like what they see. Reformist Muslim Tawfik Hamid is correct—it’s time for the Muslim world to stop pointing fingers of blame at the West and start examining itself.
EU: Half of Europeans say Islam is a religion of intolerance
http://europenews.dk/en/node/50157
The Friedrich-Ebert-Foundation published a study on intolerance and prejudice in Europe. The study "Intolerance, Prejudice and Discrimination" is available in German and English. I bring below the section relating to Muslims.
After statistical testing, three statements were used to produce the anti-Muslim attitudes mean scale (Table 7, items 18 to 20). These cover the general impression that there are too many Muslims in the country, the charge that Muslims make too many demands, and broad-brush criticism of Islam as a religion of intolerance. Four further statements were surveyed in a random half of the sample. These cover a positive attitude that sees Muslims as an enrichment and the idea that there are great cultural differences between the majority society and Muslims, especially concerning attitudes towards women. We also surveyed the idea that Muslims generally support and condone terrorism.
In most of the countries a majority believe Islam to be a religion of intolerance, with agreement just below 50 percent only in Great Britain and the Netherlands. In almost all the countries more than half of respondents said that Muslims make too many demands; Portugal was the only exception with about one third. The statement that there are too many Muslims in the country is affirmed by just over one quarter in Portugal and by about one third in France. In Germany, Great Britain, Italy and the Netherlands more than 40 percent of respondents complain that there are too many Muslims in their country, in Hungary about 60 percent.
Interviewees were also asked to respond to four further statements covering perceived cultural differences and supposed affinity of Muslims toward terrorism (Table 7, items 22 to 25). Despite correlating closely with anti-Muslim attitudes these items represent separate constructs and were therefore excluded from the scale measure.
The figures for those who say that Muslim culture is compatible with their own range from 17 percent in Poland and 19 percent in Germany to about half the population in Portugal and France. A majority of more than 70 percent of European respondents find that Muslim attitudes towards women are incompatible with their own values. Overall in the surveyed countries about one third think that Muslims treat Islamist terrorists as heroes, although somewhat fewer believe that terrorism finds moral support in the Muslim community (ranging from under 20 percent in Germany and the Netherlands to nearly 30 percent in Hungary).
The scale created from the first three statements clearly illustrates the extent of anti-Muslim attitudes in the studied countries (Figure 5). It is conspicuous that Europeans are largely united in their rejection of Muslims and Islam. The significantly most widespread anti-Muslim attitudes are found in Germany, Hungary, Italy and Poland, closely followed by France, Great Britain and the Netherlands. The extent of anti-Muslim attitudes is least in Portugal. In absolute terms, however, the eight countries differ little in their levels of prejudice towards Muslims.
A recent study in Europe found that half of Europeans now believe Islam is a religion of intolerance (see story below).
This is revealing, because for decades European countries and Great Britain have bent over backwards to accommodate Muslim immigrants and increasingly unreasonable demands from Islamic leaders and organizations.
Pushback by Europeans has resulted in the Swiss passage of a referendum banning the construction of minarets and the growing strength of Geert Wilders’ political party in the Netherlands.
It appears that, as more and more Europeans have seen the intolerance of radical Islam, they are understandably reacting negatively to that intolerance.
This is what leaders like German Chancellor Angela Merkel and British Prime Minister David Cameron were referring to last year when they said, speaking of Muslim immigration, that “multiculturalism” had failed. Cameron went so far as to say it was time to stop being tolerant of intolerance.
The same trend is happening in America, with polls showing negative attitudes towards Islam on the rise. From the Ground Zero Mosque controversy to the rise of homegrown terrorism, Americans are waking up to the threat of radical Islam.
Groups like CAIR and ISNA will continue to claim this is all about worldwide Islamophobia. They claim that people have negative views of Islam because they aren’t exposed to “genuine” Islam.
But the mounting evidence argues that the more people in the West are exposed to Islam, the less they like what they see. Reformist Muslim Tawfik Hamid is correct—it’s time for the Muslim world to stop pointing fingers of blame at the West and start examining itself.
EU: Half of Europeans say Islam is a religion of intolerance
http://europenews.dk/en/node/50157
The Friedrich-Ebert-Foundation published a study on intolerance and prejudice in Europe. The study "Intolerance, Prejudice and Discrimination" is available in German and English. I bring below the section relating to Muslims.
After statistical testing, three statements were used to produce the anti-Muslim attitudes mean scale (Table 7, items 18 to 20). These cover the general impression that there are too many Muslims in the country, the charge that Muslims make too many demands, and broad-brush criticism of Islam as a religion of intolerance. Four further statements were surveyed in a random half of the sample. These cover a positive attitude that sees Muslims as an enrichment and the idea that there are great cultural differences between the majority society and Muslims, especially concerning attitudes towards women. We also surveyed the idea that Muslims generally support and condone terrorism.
In most of the countries a majority believe Islam to be a religion of intolerance, with agreement just below 50 percent only in Great Britain and the Netherlands. In almost all the countries more than half of respondents said that Muslims make too many demands; Portugal was the only exception with about one third. The statement that there are too many Muslims in the country is affirmed by just over one quarter in Portugal and by about one third in France. In Germany, Great Britain, Italy and the Netherlands more than 40 percent of respondents complain that there are too many Muslims in their country, in Hungary about 60 percent.
Interviewees were also asked to respond to four further statements covering perceived cultural differences and supposed affinity of Muslims toward terrorism (Table 7, items 22 to 25). Despite correlating closely with anti-Muslim attitudes these items represent separate constructs and were therefore excluded from the scale measure.
The figures for those who say that Muslim culture is compatible with their own range from 17 percent in Poland and 19 percent in Germany to about half the population in Portugal and France. A majority of more than 70 percent of European respondents find that Muslim attitudes towards women are incompatible with their own values. Overall in the surveyed countries about one third think that Muslims treat Islamist terrorists as heroes, although somewhat fewer believe that terrorism finds moral support in the Muslim community (ranging from under 20 percent in Germany and the Netherlands to nearly 30 percent in Hungary).
The scale created from the first three statements clearly illustrates the extent of anti-Muslim attitudes in the studied countries (Figure 5). It is conspicuous that Europeans are largely united in their rejection of Muslims and Islam. The significantly most widespread anti-Muslim attitudes are found in Germany, Hungary, Italy and Poland, closely followed by France, Great Britain and the Netherlands. The extent of anti-Muslim attitudes is least in Portugal. In absolute terms, however, the eight countries differ little in their levels of prejudice towards Muslims.
Sunday, December 04, 2011
Find Success, Project Positivity
Top 10 Ways to Project Positivity
By Andrew Moore
Why? Because the more positive you seem, the more success will come.
It’s a fact of life: Colleagues, friends and women will consistently gravitate toward positive people.
Consequently, if you want to get ahead in life, you have to find ways to project positivity. At work, you want to be the kind of guy who posits solutions, not the kind of guy who predicts problems. In the dating game, you want to be the fun guy, the happy guy, the calm, cool and hilarious guy. Brooding only works for vampires.
Look, we understand that not everything is sunshine and cupcakes. Sometimes things suck. You’ll encounter bad ideas and annoying people. You’ll have bad days. We’re not talking about ignoring the bad things in life. We’re simply suggesting you try to focus on the good things. We maintain that you’re almost always better off emphasizing the positive than dwelling on the negative. If you agree, check out our top 10 ways to project positivity.
1. Exercise
Working out is the first tip on our list of the top 10 ways to project positivity. Exercise has numerous benefits. First of all, you’ll look better. If you’re fit and healthy, you have an edge on the competition at work and on the dating scene. Plus, working out just makes you feel good and new research shows that it allows you to better handle stressful situations. Lastly, you’ll have more energy to attack each day and each night out.
2. Groom
Grooming is another must on our list of the top 10 ways to project positivity. A poor appearance and an abundance of grooming mistakes can be off-putting. When you don’t take care of your skin, your hair and your smell, people notice -- in a bad way. So clean yourself up. Looking put-together inspires others to have confidence in you. People are more likely to take to you if you don’t look like a caveman with greasy hair.
3. Avoid Depressing Topics and Personal Issues
When talking to someone, you should systematically avoid depressing topics and uncomfortable personal issues. Consistently try to steer conversation toward happy subject matter. Don’t be the guy around the office who always wants to talk about the war effort or the economy. Likewise, when you first meet a woman, don’t talk about serial killers, tsunamis or your mother’s battle with diabetes. Some subjects are just too serious for introductory conversations.
4. Don't Slouch
Some of our top 10 ways to project positivity are verbal, some are intellectual and others are just physical. For instance, standing up straight is a great way to project positivity. The guy who slouches appears beaten and subdued, and you’re not that guy. So, keep posture on the brain with shoulders back and chin up.
5. Say 'Yes'
Perhaps the best way to project positivity is to simply say “yes.” Habituate yourself to positivity by responding in the affirmative more often. Whether it’s a request to take on extra responsibility at work or a playful dare from a group of attractive women, try to say “yes” as often as humanly possible. Eventually, your positive attitude will become second nature.
6. Don't Complain
Complainers are downers, pure and simple. When talking to people, especially a prospective love interest, don’t bitch and whine. Don’t talk about the things that make you mad. Don’t sulk; it makes you look like you're in a rut.
7. Laugh
You might think it’s difficult to make yourself laugh, but that’s not entirely true. The key is to maintain a certain state of mind. When you’re in a good mood, you’ll be more willing to tell jokes and laugh at other people’s jokes. You’ll trade barbs, tease your friends and colleagues, and generally keep everyone in a good mood. Ready yourself for laughter by taking a minute to enjoy your favorite things. Read your favorite blog every morning or check out the most hilarious viral video you can find. They’ll prepare you for an upbeat day.
8. Be curious and Engaged
Dismissive and disinterested people do not project positivity. Even though it might be difficult at times, try to remain curious and engaged as much as possible. You might start by simply asking more questions than you usually do. Even when someone says something you don’t immediately find interesting, ask a follow-up question. They’ll appreciate the attention.
9. Be Solution-Oriented
Whenever you encounter an idea you don’t like or a lukewarm response from a group of attractive women, your first instinct should be to find a solution. How can you make that bad idea better? How can you make the flawed strategy more effective? How can you improve your rate of success with women? If your first impulse is to solve problems, rather than to dwell on them, you’ll go far.
10. Smile
Smiling is perhaps the simplest way to project positivity. Think about it: You smile when you’re happy, but with a little work, you can train yourself to feel happy when you smile as well. A smile shows people you’re engaged, enthusiastic and open. Smiling is also contagious. When you smile at others, they’ll find it awfully hard not to respond in kind.
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2011/12/02/top-10-ways-to-project-positivity/?test=faces#ixzz1fZoBcoSp
By Andrew Moore
Why? Because the more positive you seem, the more success will come.
It’s a fact of life: Colleagues, friends and women will consistently gravitate toward positive people.
Consequently, if you want to get ahead in life, you have to find ways to project positivity. At work, you want to be the kind of guy who posits solutions, not the kind of guy who predicts problems. In the dating game, you want to be the fun guy, the happy guy, the calm, cool and hilarious guy. Brooding only works for vampires.
Look, we understand that not everything is sunshine and cupcakes. Sometimes things suck. You’ll encounter bad ideas and annoying people. You’ll have bad days. We’re not talking about ignoring the bad things in life. We’re simply suggesting you try to focus on the good things. We maintain that you’re almost always better off emphasizing the positive than dwelling on the negative. If you agree, check out our top 10 ways to project positivity.
1. Exercise
Working out is the first tip on our list of the top 10 ways to project positivity. Exercise has numerous benefits. First of all, you’ll look better. If you’re fit and healthy, you have an edge on the competition at work and on the dating scene. Plus, working out just makes you feel good and new research shows that it allows you to better handle stressful situations. Lastly, you’ll have more energy to attack each day and each night out.
2. Groom
Grooming is another must on our list of the top 10 ways to project positivity. A poor appearance and an abundance of grooming mistakes can be off-putting. When you don’t take care of your skin, your hair and your smell, people notice -- in a bad way. So clean yourself up. Looking put-together inspires others to have confidence in you. People are more likely to take to you if you don’t look like a caveman with greasy hair.
3. Avoid Depressing Topics and Personal Issues
When talking to someone, you should systematically avoid depressing topics and uncomfortable personal issues. Consistently try to steer conversation toward happy subject matter. Don’t be the guy around the office who always wants to talk about the war effort or the economy. Likewise, when you first meet a woman, don’t talk about serial killers, tsunamis or your mother’s battle with diabetes. Some subjects are just too serious for introductory conversations.
4. Don't Slouch
Some of our top 10 ways to project positivity are verbal, some are intellectual and others are just physical. For instance, standing up straight is a great way to project positivity. The guy who slouches appears beaten and subdued, and you’re not that guy. So, keep posture on the brain with shoulders back and chin up.
5. Say 'Yes'
Perhaps the best way to project positivity is to simply say “yes.” Habituate yourself to positivity by responding in the affirmative more often. Whether it’s a request to take on extra responsibility at work or a playful dare from a group of attractive women, try to say “yes” as often as humanly possible. Eventually, your positive attitude will become second nature.
6. Don't Complain
Complainers are downers, pure and simple. When talking to people, especially a prospective love interest, don’t bitch and whine. Don’t talk about the things that make you mad. Don’t sulk; it makes you look like you're in a rut.
7. Laugh
You might think it’s difficult to make yourself laugh, but that’s not entirely true. The key is to maintain a certain state of mind. When you’re in a good mood, you’ll be more willing to tell jokes and laugh at other people’s jokes. You’ll trade barbs, tease your friends and colleagues, and generally keep everyone in a good mood. Ready yourself for laughter by taking a minute to enjoy your favorite things. Read your favorite blog every morning or check out the most hilarious viral video you can find. They’ll prepare you for an upbeat day.
8. Be curious and Engaged
Dismissive and disinterested people do not project positivity. Even though it might be difficult at times, try to remain curious and engaged as much as possible. You might start by simply asking more questions than you usually do. Even when someone says something you don’t immediately find interesting, ask a follow-up question. They’ll appreciate the attention.
9. Be Solution-Oriented
Whenever you encounter an idea you don’t like or a lukewarm response from a group of attractive women, your first instinct should be to find a solution. How can you make that bad idea better? How can you make the flawed strategy more effective? How can you improve your rate of success with women? If your first impulse is to solve problems, rather than to dwell on them, you’ll go far.
10. Smile
Smiling is perhaps the simplest way to project positivity. Think about it: You smile when you’re happy, but with a little work, you can train yourself to feel happy when you smile as well. A smile shows people you’re engaged, enthusiastic and open. Smiling is also contagious. When you smile at others, they’ll find it awfully hard not to respond in kind.
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2011/12/02/top-10-ways-to-project-positivity/?test=faces#ixzz1fZoBcoSp
Thursday, December 01, 2011
Right To Privacy? Don't Make Me Laugh ...
Technology - SCITECH
Tens of Millions of Smartphones Come With Spyware Preinstalled, Security Analyst Says
Published December 01, 2011
Security researcher Trevor Eckhart demonstrates how Carrier IQ logs keystrokes on his Android smartphone.
Over 100 million smartphones are tracking their owners’ every step, Android developer Trevor Eckhart claimed, thanks to software that comes preinstalled on phones from most major carriers.
During a security demonstration revealed on Monday, Eckhart showed how software developed by Carrier IQ tracks virtually everything a user does -- going as far as logging individual keystrokes and button presses. The company claims it helps its customers improve quality and performance “by counting and measuring operational information in mobile devices.” Security experts call it spyware.
"I assume that when I SMS my wife on the phone, no one is intercepting that message," Chet Wisniewski of security firm Sophos told FoxNews.com. He called the whole ordeal is a "serious invasion of privacy."
"Why do they need to know when I'm logging into Bank of America, when I'm accessing my password? It's a different level of snooping," he said.
Developed as a mobile analytics platform, Carrier IQ's software can be found on most Android, BlackBerry and Nokia phones -- over 140 million phones in total, the company's website boasts. Some reports suggest Apple iPhones may carry the software as well.
The company has flat out denied that its software records keystrokes, a claim Eckhart’s latest video seems to refute.
“Every button you press in the dialer before you call,” Eckhart says in his latest video, “it already gets sent off to the IQ application.”
Eckhart did not return FoxNews.com phone calls, and Carrier IQ declined to comment on his claims. A statement on the company's website reiterates the company's claims that its software does not track customers or record keystrokes.
“This information is used by our customers as a mission critical tool to improve the quality of the network, understand device uses and ultimately improve the user experience,” the company said. By evaluating these metrics, Carrier IQ aims to help with issues such as “dropped calls and battery drain.”
In videos showing Carrier IQ at work, Eckhart showed it going beyond such utilitarian monitoring. He showed Carrier IQ’s software monitoring entire text messages, a Google search, and his location, even during sessions protected by HTTPS, a security protocol that encrypts communications for sensitive transactions like online banking.
Sprint has acknowledged using Carrier IQ's software, but denies having access to personal data.
"Carrier IQ provides information that allows Sprint, and other carriers that use it, to analyze our network performance and identify where we should be improving service," Sprint told CNET earlier this month. "We collect enough information to understand the customer experience with devices on our network and how to address any connection problems, but we do not and cannot look at the contents of messages, photos, videos, etc., using this tool," Sprint continued.
While Wisniewski understands the needs for data and metrics, he believes carriers must be more forthcoming about how they are monitoring their users, what data they are collecting, and how they are protect that data.
"If you're going to collect that kind of information from people, you have to meet a different standard," Wisniewski told FoxNews.com.
But for now, most users are stuck, unable to even turn off or uninstall the program.
"The Carrier IQ application is embedded so deeply in the device that it can't be fully removed without rebuilding the phone from source code," Eckhart wrote on his website.
"Even where a device is out of contract, there is no off switch to stop the application from gathering data."
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/12/01/is-your-smartphone-secretly-spying-on/?test=faces#ixzz1fIMNTpcy
Tens of Millions of Smartphones Come With Spyware Preinstalled, Security Analyst Says
Published December 01, 2011
Security researcher Trevor Eckhart demonstrates how Carrier IQ logs keystrokes on his Android smartphone.
Over 100 million smartphones are tracking their owners’ every step, Android developer Trevor Eckhart claimed, thanks to software that comes preinstalled on phones from most major carriers.
During a security demonstration revealed on Monday, Eckhart showed how software developed by Carrier IQ tracks virtually everything a user does -- going as far as logging individual keystrokes and button presses. The company claims it helps its customers improve quality and performance “by counting and measuring operational information in mobile devices.” Security experts call it spyware.
"I assume that when I SMS my wife on the phone, no one is intercepting that message," Chet Wisniewski of security firm Sophos told FoxNews.com. He called the whole ordeal is a "serious invasion of privacy."
"Why do they need to know when I'm logging into Bank of America, when I'm accessing my password? It's a different level of snooping," he said.
Developed as a mobile analytics platform, Carrier IQ's software can be found on most Android, BlackBerry and Nokia phones -- over 140 million phones in total, the company's website boasts. Some reports suggest Apple iPhones may carry the software as well.
The company has flat out denied that its software records keystrokes, a claim Eckhart’s latest video seems to refute.
“Every button you press in the dialer before you call,” Eckhart says in his latest video, “it already gets sent off to the IQ application.”
Eckhart did not return FoxNews.com phone calls, and Carrier IQ declined to comment on his claims. A statement on the company's website reiterates the company's claims that its software does not track customers or record keystrokes.
“This information is used by our customers as a mission critical tool to improve the quality of the network, understand device uses and ultimately improve the user experience,” the company said. By evaluating these metrics, Carrier IQ aims to help with issues such as “dropped calls and battery drain.”
In videos showing Carrier IQ at work, Eckhart showed it going beyond such utilitarian monitoring. He showed Carrier IQ’s software monitoring entire text messages, a Google search, and his location, even during sessions protected by HTTPS, a security protocol that encrypts communications for sensitive transactions like online banking.
Sprint has acknowledged using Carrier IQ's software, but denies having access to personal data.
"Carrier IQ provides information that allows Sprint, and other carriers that use it, to analyze our network performance and identify where we should be improving service," Sprint told CNET earlier this month. "We collect enough information to understand the customer experience with devices on our network and how to address any connection problems, but we do not and cannot look at the contents of messages, photos, videos, etc., using this tool," Sprint continued.
While Wisniewski understands the needs for data and metrics, he believes carriers must be more forthcoming about how they are monitoring their users, what data they are collecting, and how they are protect that data.
"If you're going to collect that kind of information from people, you have to meet a different standard," Wisniewski told FoxNews.com.
But for now, most users are stuck, unable to even turn off or uninstall the program.
"The Carrier IQ application is embedded so deeply in the device that it can't be fully removed without rebuilding the phone from source code," Eckhart wrote on his website.
"Even where a device is out of contract, there is no off switch to stop the application from gathering data."
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/12/01/is-your-smartphone-secretly-spying-on/?test=faces#ixzz1fIMNTpcy
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